This weekend’s trip to Fashion Valley Mall provided an opportunity to visit The Microsoft Store. I was curious how Microsoft is competing with Apple in the high end retail space. Here are some pictures:
Overall The Microsoft Store was somewhat confusing from a retail shop perspective. There was a large space dedicated to XBox. That dedicated space had the strongest presence and clear message. The rest of the Store had a mix of hardware from different manufacturers (Sony, Dell etc) but the Microsoft “experience” felt muted.
The Microsoft Store felt like a high end version of Best Buy. I don’t consider that a good thing. Microsoft needs to draw on their strengths and improve their retail experience. There was no strong message directed at anyone walking in the door. With an estimated budget of $1 Billion for a Windows 7 marketing blitz Microsoft needs to do better and should be learning from their company branded stores.
