Shifting Strategy, Microsoft Closed All Its Specialty Stores and Kiosks in the US (windowscentral.com) 41
Microsoft is on the cusp of finally opening its flagship retail store in the UK next month, but all of the smaller Microsoft Specialty Stores have evidently been shuttered with many reportedly closing this past weekend. From a report: As of June 2019, Microsoft has just over 80 full-fledged Microsoft Stores in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Australia, but 17 of the smaller kiosks and so-called specialty stores have now been removed. Indeed, all the specialty stores are now gone implying a planned shift in retail strategy. In a statement, Microsoft said: After careful discussion and evaluation, we've made the decision to close our specialty store locations. We are focused on delivering great experiences throughout the customer journey. We will continue to connect with and empower our customers to achieve more and discover all that's possible with Microsoft through Microsoft Store across the globe online and in our physical stores in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, Australia, and coming soon to the U.K.
They're moving games back to Steam too (Score:4, Interesting)
Re: They're moving games back to Steam too (Score:1)
Specialty stores only work if their a destination. The occasional shopper who blunders into them from time to time are not the target market. Too bad Microsoft had to waste so many resources learning this simple lesson. Seems like a retail consultant could have told them right off the bat.
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Walled garden is simply a polite way to say prison.
Well, this depends on details.
Do I own the garden?
If I spend all season growing something in this garden, is there a door by which I am permitted to leave, taking my stuff with me?
Can my friends visit me? Can they bring their toys, if I say it is OK? Or does somebody else choose for me?
Really? (Score:3)
I always found it weird that software/computer/Internet companies ever thought that moving into bricks-and-mortar could be a good plan for them.
Especially when everything else on the high street was dying off because of the associated costs and threat from online-only retailers.
I don't get why I'd ever go into a "Google" shop, a "Microsoft" store or, it has to be said, an Apple store. To buy a product from the literal company that I just walked into their shop and thus can only buy their brand and thus know what I'm buying and could have just bought online?
Microsoft Xbox and possible Surface... Google... what? What am I gonna buy? A Chromebook, maybe, and a Chromecast?
Meanwhile all the business side is entirely online.
I never got it. They must just haemorrhage money.
I'll be quite happily if, in 50 years time, there's one "Amazon" like shop in every town, that sells everything from everyone, and that's it. High street is dead, it needs to be converted to housing and more useful things (yes, every parcel delivery companies!).
In my UK town, the high street is one big shopping centre, a handful of charity shops, a whole row of betting shops, a tiny post office tucked away in the back of a stationary shop, and a pharmacy. That's not including the outskirts-of-town huge 24/7 supermarkets.
The cinema, dead.
The shops, dead.
Even the post office, dead.
The pubs, dying off or dead.
I literally can't fathom why someone like Microsoft needs a store in the first place, let alone why they'd want them in the most expensive parts of London. They might as well just spend the money on billboards advertising Microsoft.com
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The cinema, dead.
I find it hard to understand how films are setting new record highs at the box office if the cinemas are dead...
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Well, there used to be 3 theaters at or near the mall. One had 2 screens. One had 4 screens. One had 8 screens. 14 total screens.
Now there is 1 theater at that same mall, with 16 screens. "Most" of the theaters died, and yet, the number of screens went up.
All of those screens exclusively show the "top" movies from the big companies. When there were 3 theaters, the smaller two often had more variety, including independent or special interest films.
There is no contradiction there. The money is being concentra
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The cinema, dead.
I find it hard to understand how films are setting new record highs at the box office if the cinemas are dead...
*Real* cinema disappeared with the introduction of talkies.
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Apple Stores make money for a few reasons. Firstly they are a point of contact for customer service (Genius Bar etc). Secondly they are a place to get hands-on with Apple gear (e.g. try out the keyboard on the new MacBook to see if its any good or not). Thirdly its the best way to get the latest Apple gear right away without waiting for online ordering.
LEGO has its own stores for much the same reason. I can go to the LEGO store in my town and get the latest sets without having to wait for an online order to
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I don't get why I'd ever go into a "Google" shop, a "Microsoft" store or, it has to be said, an Apple store. To buy a product from the literal company that I just walked into their shop and thus can only buy their brand and thus know what I'm buying and could have just bought online?
I couldn't agree more. I never understood the reason for these shops. And, after going to an Apple one a couple of times, out of curiosity, the mystery only deepened.
"Shifting Strategy" - thats a nice way to word it (Score:5, Insightful)
I'd say they have NO strategy. M$ flails around, throwing money and poop at the wall, and seeing what sticks.
They'll usually waste several billion dollars on some retread of an idea they got from someone else, until it craters badly (Windows Phone, CE, MSN, IE, Cortana, Zune, Silverlight), then either let it wallow as a sad joke for many years (IE for example), or just kill it outright (Zune) and move on to the next new hip fad that they'll toss billions more at and fail once again.
Re:"Shifting Strategy" - thats a nice way to word (Score:4, Insightful)
They desperately want to be hip and contemporary but every time they try they come off like total morons who don't get the concept at all.
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I'd say they have NO strategy. M$ flails around, throwing money and poop at the wall, and seeing what sticks.
What sort of idiot claims they have no strategy, and then details their exact strategy? Make up your damn mind!
And look, apes have been using the strategy you describe for 10 million years, it is tried and true. What separates success from failure is mostly that last step: Seeing what sticks.
Compare Google: They throw shit at the wall, and then cancel it regardless of if it stuck or not.
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Damn! (Score:2)
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