In Minnesota, the Star Tribune reports that Best Buy is making changes in some of its urban stores - starting with units in Manhattan - that are designed to make them m ore convenient for local shoppers.
Best Buy "has been doing things like moving its Apple mini-shops, and expanding them, to prime real estate near the entrances of its Manhattan stores. It separated its in-store pickup areas from the rest of its customer service counter and boosted its staffing in that area to reduce wait times when customers come in to fetch online orders. And it added concierges who walk around with tablets in hand to help customers navigate its multilevel stores."
The story makes clear that Best Buy, hit hard by competition from online retailers, has largely stopped opening new stores in recent years and rather has focused on improving existing units in larger markets where it believes it can maintain and maybe even build market share. And so it also is adding departments and high-end products and "has also included stepped-up training and pay for workers to help with recruitment and retention in the fiercely competitive market."
Best Buy "has been doing things like moving its Apple mini-shops, and expanding them, to prime real estate near the entrances of its Manhattan stores. It separated its in-store pickup areas from the rest of its customer service counter and boosted its staffing in that area to reduce wait times when customers come in to fetch online orders. And it added concierges who walk around with tablets in hand to help customers navigate its multilevel stores."
The story makes clear that Best Buy, hit hard by competition from online retailers, has largely stopped opening new stores in recent years and rather has focused on improving existing units in larger markets where it believes it can maintain and maybe even build market share. And so it also is adding departments and high-end products and "has also included stepped-up training and pay for workers to help with recruitment and retention in the fiercely competitive market."
- KC's View:
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I wouldn't bet the house on Best Buy's ability to survive long term, but this is the kind of thing that retailers have to do in order to be relevant and sustainable. It may be too little, too late ... but it is necessary.
