Both HTC and Best Buy are companies who have had more than their fair share of troubles over the last few years. We’ve already detailed HTC’s struggles several times, but Best Buy has been facing increased competition from online retailers, such as Amazon and NewEgg. Online retailers often offer the same product at a cheaper price, and in some instances, without tax. Shipping times have also been reduced greatly, allowing for a product to arrive in 48 hours or less. With all of this, there’s little incentive for consumers to make the trek to Best Buy to purchase something when it’s easier and cheaper online.
Contrary to what many of you may think, more people than just us geeks are excited about HTC’s latest flagship, including Best Buy. The retail giant will be HTC’s top partner in selling the HTC One and it will do every thing in its power to help the product succeed.
“The reason why we’re excited about this one is we need HTC back in the market,” said Best Buy head of marketing Allister Jones in an interview. “We need customers to have more than two choices when it actually comes to smartphones. So we’re excited not just about this phone from HTC, but to see what else comes from HTC this year.” Jones went on to add that 2013 is “going to be an exciting year for smartphones.”
HTC has said multiple times that marketing is what it needs to focus on to succeed, but perhaps with one of the largest retail chains backing the device, the One will take off. The two companies will be working on marketing together and Best Buy will “talk to consumers in a slightly different way” when selling the device.
“We haven’t done a lot of this with HTC, but we feel really confident that the plans we’re putting in place for the end of March and through April will be good for creating awareness for this device and awareness that Best Buy is probably the best place to buy it,” Jones said.
Best Buy staff will also be receiving training on the HTC One, in addition to the training they already receive. Best Buy says mobile will be an intense area of interest for it this year, especially as smartphones continue to reach the hands of more “average” consumers. While salesmen are never encouraged to push one device over another, the staff are always supposing to match the person with the best phone for them, not the best phone on the market, necessarily.
“Our sales people aren’t incentivized to sell one product over another, but they are hugely enthusiastic about matching people with technology, it just has to be the right technology,” Jones said.
Do you think, with Best Buy backing it, the HTC One has what it takes to succeed in the crowded mobile space? Let us know down in the comments!
Source: VentureBeat