TWICE:
Have more retailers embraced
smartphones? How will dealers
lacking cellphone experience fare
with the category?
Warren Chaiken, Almo:
We have
not seen a significant change in the
landscape of who is selling smartphones.
It will be challenging for
non-traditional cellphone retailers to
add value in this market. The one exception
to this rule may be unlocked
phones.
Jeff Davis, D&H Distributing:
Yes, retailers have embraced the
smartphone trend. These devices
drive traffic, so a smart retailer will be
in the category.
Eddie Lageyre, SED International:
[Non-traditional cellphone
retailers] probably won’t be players
in the space. At this point, with 4G
starting to take hold in major markets
by various carriers, we expect a “wait
and see” period coming up. Anyone
coming out with smartphones that
won’t work with 4G will see issues in
the market.
Fred Towns, New Age Electronics:
The opportunity that non-traditional
cellphone retailers don’t have
is to command more sales by selling
them as a consultative product
on floor. Most retailers offer a better
customer service and returns experience,
so if they handle selling smartphones
to their customer well, the
customer might consider them when
buying products from the other categories
sold in their store.
Bill Stewart, Petra Industries:
Over the past few years the cellular
category has exploded with new technology
and platforms. We’ve seen our
retailers and e-tailers have a lot of
success in the category, particularly
with the accessories like chargers
and cases.
Our role is to help dealers, even
if they don’t sell wireless plans, find
ways to capitalize on these opportunities.
Our merchandising team
focuses on having the latest accessories
well in advance of a phone
release. This helps our dealers react
quickly, diversify their offerings and
keep their shelves stocked so they
are ready when the consumer walks
through the door.
