Aftermarket mobile phone accessories revenue is expected to surpass $50bn in 2015, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.4%, driven by the explosive growth in smartphones sales, according to latest report from ABI Research.

The report, Mobile Accessories Market Data, also said that the accessories, which are purchased in addition to any included in the phone's box, produced worldwide revenue of $26.5bn last year.

ABI senior analyst Michael Morgan said that smartphones were generally higher-value products than feature phones, so consumers were willing to spend more on the accessories for them.

"There is also a shift to higher-quality accessories, replacing the cheap, white-label products that characterized the market until recently," Morgan said.

The report said that retailers are considering accessories as powerful generators of revenue for them, as they do not see high margins on the phones or their associated plans.

The most popular categories include carrying and protective cases for smartphones, while scratch protectors are popular as well, stimulated by the proliferation of large-screen and touch-screen devices, according to the report.

Other popular accessories include Bluetooth headsets, memory cards, and wired stereo headsets that are driven by the more media-centric, music-capable phones, the report added.