Just about every reviewer lucky enough to get their hands on the HTC One cannot stop raving over the look and feel of the device. The phone feels absolutely fantastic in the hand, and it’s 1080p display tied for tops in the world with Samsung. HTC is hoping to capitalize on their device’s amazing feel by opening a series of “pop up stores” called HTC One Showrooms in several high traffic malls. Erin McGee VP of HTC in North America said the stores will create “a large, playful, interactive exhibit where we expect people to be entertained and have a new experience with the HTC One at each visit.”
Earlier this year HTC decided to ditch their previous brand slogan of Quietly Brilliant, and they have certainly taken a much bolder approach as of late. At Samsung’s Galaxy S4 reveal they even went so far as to have HTC Ones available outside for journalists. HTC has seen how Apple has created successful showcases for their products, and how effective a sell placing a device in the consumers hands can be. Samsung has even gotten into the retail game recently, with small pop up stores. HTC has seen their success and believes they will equal it with their new shops.
Malls in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington will all have these outlets for a minimum of three months. These are all large urban centers with burgeoning populations of young and tech savvy people. HTC must be attempting to grab as much of the young market as possible, and these stores will be a critical part of that strategy.
The HTC One is arguably the best phone on the market today. Many people rail against its lack of an microSD card slot or expandable storage, but the 32 GB of standard memory and more than adequate battery life more than make up for those shortcomings. HTC has put a ton of time an effort into making sure this device had the best possible specs and build quality available. It remains to be seen if their marketing will be worthy of their phone. If they can pull off Ideas like their showrooms, the One should be their most successful phone ever.