Has BlackBerry given up on UK Consumers? Earlier this morning we reported how BlackBerry will have fewer than 1 million UK consumer users by the end of the year, a radical slump from a peak of nearly 8 million in June 2012, according to new research from two companies. New research from eMarketer says it may have as few as 700,000 consumer users in the UK, and that by 2017 the figure could fall to 400,000.
That is a huge slump when you consider that the UK is BlackBerry’s number one country in Europe.
Ironically, this report came out just a few days after I had discussions with BlackBerry where I asked “Has BlackBerry given up on UK Consumers?” after this was discussed at our latest BlackBerry Developer Group meeting.
The UK used to be important to BlackBerry but in recent months, there is a perception that this is no longer the case.
BlackBerry Passport
When it comes to buying a BlackBerry Passport it is actually cheaper to purchase the Passport elsewhere than it is direct from BlackBerry in the UK. It’s not only more expensive from BlackBerry but colour options are limited to Black.
BlackBerry Passport ShopBlackBerry UK
- Black Passport option only. No white or red options offered.
- Black Passport £529 with shipping method 1 £538.74
- Black Passport £529 with shipping method 2 £548.48
When you consider that the BlackBerry Passport can be bought elsewhere for between £410 and £439.99 elsewhere all-in, there is no real explanation why BlackBerry are pricing the smartphone so expensively to UK consumers and limiting the colour options.
When you compare this with BlackBerry’s US and Canadian Stores, the situation is even more bizarre.
United States
BlackBerry Passport ShopBlackBerry US
Black, White and Red Passports with the Black and White coming in at US $599.99 (£391 roughly)
Canada
BlackBerry Passport ShopBlackBerry Canada
Black, White and Red Passports with the Black and White coming in at CAD  $699.99 (£366 roughly)
As you can see, we are talking about quite a huge price difference here, not just a couple of pounds. When you apply that to UK consumers who want to buy multiple devices, it can soon really mount up.
On a personal level, When I was informed that the Limited Edition Passports would be online shortly, I immediately went to ShopBlackBerry to buy one. They were in stock at that time but of course being in the UK, not available for me to purchase.
BlackBerry UK Promotions
In recent months, BlackBerry has ran several promotions, all of them omitting the UK.
- No Black Friday Offers in the UK just the US and Canada.
- No Cyber Monday Offers in the UK just the US and Canada
- No Christmas Offers in the UK just the US and Canada.
- No Valentines Offers in the UK just the US and Canada.
While not every promotion that BlackBerry runs requires to be available to UK users, when it is this many over several months, it highlights a worrying trend.
Even if BlackBerry ends up with less than 1 million consumer users in the UK by the end of the year, that would still leave UK users in the six figures.  Each and every one of those users are entitled to parity with BlackBerry users in the other countries.
If UK BlackBerry users are shrinking, then it is up to BlackBerry to do something about that, not discourage the few who have stuck with the platform.
BlackBerry need to remember that every single Enterprise user is also a consumer.
