Are wireless stores necessary?
I decided to start a new thread for this topic:
https://www.phonescoop.com/carriers/forum.php?fm=m&f ... »
There will always be stores- but who says they have to be VZW stores?
Ever seen a DirecTV Store? How about a Microsoft Store? These companies seem to be doing pretty well, and they have no direct retail presence at all as far as I can tell.
People will still buy cell phone...
(continues)
https://www.phonescoop.com/carriers/forum.php?fm=m&f ... »
tgoace said:
If there were no retail stores to drive sales, wouldn't the trade off of that be to take all that money "saved" and invest heavily into marketing? That would either be a wash or more expensive, wouldn't it?
What would VZW do? Rely on word of mouth? Just let their fate be decided by chance? 😲
There will always be stores- but who says they have to be VZW stores?
Ever seen a DirecTV Store? How about a Microsoft Store? These companies seem to be doing pretty well, and they have no direct retail presence at all as far as I can tell.
People will still buy cell phone...
(continues)
...
Thanks for making it a seperate thread.
Good points throughout. The reason why I believe it won't happen any time soon is because neither side will blink first. VZW is already more profitable than At&t, so the goal for now is to have more total subscribers than them. With them this close to realizing that goal, there's no way they would jeopardize that now and close up all the retail shops.
There's too much to lose right now for either at&t and vzw to make a radical change like that.
The whole "closing up the stores thing" will be a possibility when either at&t get way out ahead or behind each other, or when one side does it and the other copies them.
Good points throughout. The reason why I believe it won't happen any time soon is because neither side will blink first. VZW is already more profitable than At&t, so the goal for now is to have more total subscribers than them. With them this close to realizing that goal, there's no way they would jeopardize that now and close up all the retail shops.
There's too much to lose right now for either at&t and vzw to make a radical change like that.
The whole "closing up the stores thing" will be a possibility when either at&t get way out ahead or behind each other, or when one side does it and the other copies them.
...
Are wireless stores necessary?
Yes. If most people are anything like me, when it comes to my electronic stuff - I'm an 'instant gratification' kind of guy. When I want something, I want it now - not in 3 days when UPS can get it to me.
Yes. If most people are anything like me, when it comes to my electronic stuff - I'm an 'instant gratification' kind of guy. When I want something, I want it now - not in 3 days when UPS can get it to me.
...
Keith-IA said:
Are wireless stores necessary?
Yes. If most people are anything like me, when it comes to my electronic stuff - I'm an 'instant gratification' kind of guy. When I want something, I want it now - not in 3 days when UPS can get it to me.
I renamed the thread to be a little more clear. Of course stores will always exist, but how much longer will it be profitable for carrier-operated, carrier-subsidized, carried- commissioned store to exist? I think the idea of having hardware being a separate industry from service and activations is a concept whose time has come.
I can easily see the Big Boys spinning off their retail establishments into separate companies, just like Moto split o...
(continues)
...
I think they may evolve of the next few years. With all the choices that consumers have and will have in the next few years you may see the structure change a bit. It won't be profitable to pay high commissioned sales people for much longer. But all you indirect agents will continue to thrive. Too many consumers want to touch and feel the product before purchasing, myself included. And it cost over $9 for each call into a call center, so it is cheaper for the carriers to have stores that customers can visit to solve their problems. Well...at least some of the customers visit the stores instead of call.
...
