1. kidbagel's Avatar
    With the launch of the BlackBerry Passport to great reviews, a strong earnings report and some hopeful news on device sales, this past week seems a world away from September 2013. The buzz on CrackBerry, and in the media more generally, leaves me feeling that if BlackBerry isn't back, it's giving it one heck of a good try.

    With great determination and style, John Chen has shepherded the company to this point. And during the Passport launch he stated that he wants to see Canada as a "stronghold" for a comeback. With 200,000 units sold online, it looks like people who know that they want a Passport will have one in their hands soon. Following that initial rush it will be necessary to reach beyond the loyal core and attract new users.

    BlackBerry has been through a months long marathon and is positioned to finish strong. Still, I have a concern that it could be let down in the final mile. If you've spent any time in a Canadian mobile retailer over the past couple of years, it wouldn't be a shock to hear me suggest that BlackBerry hasn't gotten much love at the point of sale. Whether it's sales staff actively discouraging potential customers from purchasing a BlackBerry, or the benign neglect of not being able to demonstrate BB10's strengths to communications-focussed customers (no live demo or lack of staff training), our favourite phones haven't had the easiest time.

    Maybe it's time for a new approach to retail and marketing. Perhaps BlackBerry should consider opening a handful of store fronts in select locations in Canada. BlackBerry has built a stable of great devices and the OS has seen tremendous improvements. These devices deserve to be displayed in a setting that gives them the showcase they merit.

    In my experience, showing off BB10 is most effective when potential new customers can hold the device and try the features themselves, ideally while being given a walk through by someone with their own phone in hand.

    Imagine a retail location with BB10 trained staff, designed to mirror the BlackBerry corporate look, and stocked with a full range of current devices that are lit up like a Christmas tree. Each store should have at least half dozen live devices that have demo e-mail, BBM and social media accounts set up. A nice touch would be to display a Porsche Design 9982 and 9983 under glass. Stores could offer unlocked and carrier-linked devices, so that customers could choose the mobile package that best suits their needs.

    The strategy should not be to become the primary retailer of BlackBerry devices. Rather, the retail initiative should be coupled with locally-focused marketing efforts that find the messages that resonate with potential customers and get them asking the right questions, no matter which retailer they choose. Success should not be measured by unit sales at each location, but by "moving the needle" in the selected markets.

    With such a strategy in mind, mid-sized markets might be the best place to start - think perhaps Halifax, Quebec City, Ottawa, Winnipeg and Victoria. These offer a healthy pool of potential customers in each region and an opportunity to market in a way that breaks through the noise at reasonable cost. If the formula works, it could be rolled out to other markets across Canada, and maybe beyond. One exception to this initial mid-sized market approach could be Toronto. Given BlackBerry's market presence, and the concentration of regulated industries, a location on (or near) Bay Street could be worthwhile. A few of the Porsche Design products could even move out the door.

    BlackBerry is in a delicate phase, and cannot afford to mis-allocate resources. Still, a strategy that targets a few select mid-sized markets could be implemented for less than the cost of airing the 2013 Super Bowl ad. A Toronto location could probably be thrown in for the price of producing that commercial. The Passport launch shows that there's no better publicity than free publicity. Imagine the buzz in local markets when word gets out that, "BlackBerry is coming to town."

    What do you think? Would it be worth a go?

    Posted via CB10
    09-30-14 10:41 PM
  2. Troy Tiscareno's Avatar
    In the past, such stores have just lost way too much money. The Passport is currently the only consumer product that BB has to sell - the Z10, Q10, and Q5 are all over 18 months old, and the Z30 is nearly a year old. Even if the rumored Z20 (Z3 LTE) and Classic were available, it still makes zero sense to open stores to sell a total of 3 products. It would cost a fortune and there's no way there would be enough sales to generate even a small dent in the costs.

    A similar, but likely better use of the money would be a bunch of the vans they had for the BB10 launch that could go around and do product demos. While these also likely wouldn't translate into a ton of sales, they would at least make people aware of BB's continued existence and give them some hands-on with the current phones (which, again, today, is just the Passport, and maybe the Z30), but without costing a huge fortune. BB could lease a bunch of vans and pay to have them wrapped (wraps can be removed at the end of the lease) and perhaps some small portable kiosks and literature. The biggest thing would be WELL-TRAINED staff who were eager to put the devices in people's hands and answer lots of questions. A basic "how-to" video in several targeted languages would also be helpful for people to watch who are waiting their turn to try a demo and/or talk to one of the reps. At least then they'd know how to navigate the device once they are handed it.
    09-30-14 11:52 PM
  3. kidbagel's Avatar
    The vans are great, as long as you are around when they are. When people see a fixed location, they know that help and advice will be there when needed.
    I don't think that success or failure should be judged on unit sales. It's more a question of moving the market share needle in the selected markets vs. those with no retail presence.
    Also, the stores need not be limited to over the counter phone sales. They could offer front line info on BlackBerry's services offerings. I think it should be a joint sales and marketing effort.
    Costs could be controlled by staying away from marquee retail locations. Have a place that offers easy access with decent foot traffic.

    Posted via CB10
    10-01-14 07:14 PM
  4. Troy Tiscareno's Avatar
    The vans are great, as long as you are around when they are. When people see a fixed location, they know that help and advice will be there when needed.
    Again, in the past, these stores have mostly been empty and cost the company a ton of money. With only a couple of products to sell, almost no one will bother going into the store. It's not like it wasn't tried before.

    I don't think that success or failure should be judged on unit sales. It's more a question of moving the market share needle in the selected markets vs. those with no retail presence.
    "Moving the marketshare needle" is exactly based on unit sales. That's the ONLY way you can judge the success or failure, because without unit sales, you lose BIG money.

    Also, the stores need not be limited to over the counter phone sales. They could offer front line info on BlackBerry's services offerings. I think it should be a joint sales and marketing effort.
    The only people buying BB services are bigger companies, and they have corporate sales reps who handle their accounts directly and come to the business's locations. No one is going to go to a BB store for this - that's just not how business is done.

    Costs could be controlled by staying away from marquee retail locations. Have a place that offers easy access with decent foot traffic.
    Again, a contradiction. Most places with decent foot traffic and that allow commercial stores are places like malls, where square footage is expensive. Even if that mall isn't in Times Square, it isn't going to be cheap. Nor is there any point in putting a store in an otherwise dead strip mall someplace, even if the rent is cheap. Foot traffic drives pricing.

    BB has had stores before; they know how all of this works, and if they thought it would work for them, they'd do it. But they KNOW it won't work, because they have plenty of experience opening, and then closing storefronts.
    10-02-14 10:24 AM
  5. TGR1's Avatar
    The vans are a cool idea. Like food trucks here, BBRY would have to be very active on Twitter and Facebook and develop a distinctive, attractive online style. Maybe tweeting a "Here from x to x pm, come see our phones, you may be the lucky one to get a prize!" Would really avoid the awful fixed costs of those mall kiosks, which BTW have an enormous failure rate.
    10-03-14 08:35 AM
  6. Denise in Los Angeles's Avatar
    Using vans and twitter was something that T-Mobile used very well a year or two ago.

    Imagine the BlackBerry van at sporting events, amusement parks, concerts, etc. They could have people re-tweet a "I want a BlackBerry Passport" and one lucky follower could win one.

    Posted via CB10
    10-07-14 01:35 AM
  7. lnichols's Avatar
    Apple has a lot more to sell than just iPhones to justify a storefront. BlackBerry does not currently. If BlackBerry had done a few at the BB10 launch in some strategic locations then it may be good, but the product offering other than the Passport now is stale, with not much in the pipe other than a Q10 with a belt, and possibly a lower end all touch that what has been available. They would get more bang for the buck right now sticking with good online retail channels line Amazon, and doing some effective advertising. Oh and it wouldn't hurt to have a more predictable and consistent product pipeline.

    Posted with a BlackBerry Z10
    10-07-14 05:58 AM
  8. Prem WatsApp's Avatar
    Apple has a lot more to sell than just iPhones to justify a storefront. BlackBerry does not currently. If BlackBerry had done a few at the BB10 launch in some strategic locations then it may be good, but the product offering other than the Passport now is stale, with not much in the pipe other than a Q10 with a belt, and possibly a lower end all touch that what has been available. They would get more bang for the buck right now sticking with good online retail channels line Amazon, and doing some effective advertising. Oh and it wouldn't hurt to have a more predictable and consistent product pipeline.

    Posted with a BlackBerry Z10
    +10.x

    for the product pipeline...

    Apple is so boring and predictable with yearly releases / refreshes... yet so successful...

    ? BlackBerry? I premdict the future's gonna be chenomenal! ?
    10-10-14 06:06 AM
  9. BluejayChip's Avatar
    I just think the storefront idea is too costly as stated above.

    The launch and direct sales of the Passport may give us a better glimpse into the future.

    Sell phones Direct to users...unlocked for their carrier choice.

    I don't see us competing with multiple product line companies like Apple and Samsung...we just can't win that game as we have just one product and less field support and huge carrier campaigns and incentives.

    A better online support / customer service for buyers might be the ticket. Expanding the relationship with Amazon is another. We are a niche device company...and it needs to have a different strategy when we likely aren't going to see 40M handsets sold.

    Having a loyal group such as BlackBerry users is a benefit...but it is a smaller segment than mainstream customers. We just have to match our sales, production, and inventory management to our actual place in the segment.

    Just my 2 cents...

    Posted via Z10
    10-20-14 07:04 PM
  10. Warlack's Avatar
    Seeing so many retailers closing down, it surely is not the way to go.

    A few years back I read an article about the future of sales and it has been envisioned the way it is now: most of your stuff is getting delivered to you. The only reason you go and look at something in a store, is to judge if you like it or not.

    Afterwards you go back home and order it cheaper online.

    The last time I have been at HMV, a record store that sells dvds and bluray as well, I took my phone out and scanned the Barcode of every DVD, I wanted to buy as a gift for Christmas.

    It was amazing to realise that I saved a ton of money and that it has been sent directly to the people I wanted to give it to. Wrapped as gifts.

    So yeah. All you do and will be doing in the future is just getting an inspiration and a feel for the things you want to buy.

    It has been a few months that I have been to a shop, as I get my groceries delivered to me for the same price as from the shop.

    Crackberry Kevin has wrote a piece about it as well where he was unable to buy what he wanted from several Brick and Mortar places. In the end he was forced to go online

    Posted via CB10
    10-21-14 02:33 PM

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