Atlanta – Wi-Ex, the marketer of
cellphone signal boosters, is expanding its retail footprint with the addition
of Micro Center and Best Buy.
The
company’s products have been in Fry’s since 2006 and were available in Best Buy
previously only on a test basis, a spokesperson said.
Micro Center and Best Buy are selling the
company’s dual-band $399 zBoost-SOHO
and $299 dual-band zBoost-Metro, both capable of improving in-building coverage of
800/1900MHz cellular networks. The former is intended to boost cellphone signal
strength in homes and small office, and the latter boosts signal strength in a
single room in an apartment or condo.
“The retail channel is still a very
important part of the buying experience for consumers,” said Wi-Ex’s Sharon Cuppett, marketing and product management VP. “In fact, recent
industry reports found that more than 40 percent of consumers research electronics online but still purchase in
store.”
A consumer
survey conducted late last year by Harris Interactive for Wi-Ex found that 67
percent of cellphone owners have experienced problems with cellphone coverage
inside their homes. In addition, the survey found that 67 percent of cellphone
owners use data functions on their cellphones and that, of those, almost 57
percent experience problems when accessing cellular data at home.
