Best Buy to push blu-ray this holiday season?

[Batman1980]

Best Buy Ramps up BD Space, Promotion, Education
Posted November 12, 2009 05:35 AM by Juan Calonge

This holiday season, Best Buy Co. will allocate up to 30% of its entertainment retail space to BD, up from 10% last year, and move the BD software section up front. Consumer education on the benefits of Blu-ray and the product required is also a priority. Best Buy is also working with two studios to test new store patterns.

In 13 “movie test stores” in Los Angeles and Chicago, retail representatives from Fox and Universal have created standalone kiosks and product placements showcasing BD new releases, surrounded by catalog titles. “The customer has to walk through the catalog titles to get to the new releases,” said Diane Sherwood, market director for movies. The idea is to help customers find the titles they're interested in, in addition to getting them to “interact” with catalog product.

Best Buy has instituted a policy that lets consumers unable to find a Blu-ray title to order it, and it will be shipped to them for free.

“Our focus this holiday season is definitely Blu-ray and stepping customers up to [the format],” Sherwood said. “We are definitely driving the industry in Blu-ray promotions.” Best Buy stores have implemented genre-specific Blu-ray sections, in addition to carrying budget-priced Blu-ray titles selling for as little as $10.

Sherwood said the traditional in-store Blu-ray content playing on TV displays has been altered to emphasize that the HDTV experience can be replicated in movies. In addition, home theater departments feature BD end-caps highlighting the steps and product required to experience HD movies in the home.

“It's not enough to just call out the Blu-ray logo and say that it's a premium product,” Sherwood said. “We need to land what the customer is asking for and solve their problems. It is really about making it an end-to-end experience.”

Source: Home Media Magazine | Permalink Relevant for:

I have two problems with this. First, I know more about blu-ray than any Best Buy employee I've seen at my local store. Second, they're not doing any of this at my store and I doubt they will, the truth is people either want to switch or they don't, this stuff won't make a lot switch.

[Afrobean]

I think the best way to do it is to simply keep doing software as they have been, but make demo displays more prominent. At my local Best Buy, everything is just great, except that in order to see the Blu-ray demo, you have to go down the special aisle for Blu-ray. That screen should on an endcap or something, and the display should do a better job of pointing out exactly what Blu-ray is and SHOWING why it's better.

I like Target's demo material for this reason. My mouth was agape when I saw how crisp some footage from Spider-man 3 looked, and they paired this with just enough technical info that a normal person could understand to be perfect ("Blu-ray has a picture six times as resolved as DVD").

[blujacket]

My local store has at least 3 tv's playing blus. One is in the Blu-ray aisle, and two others in the tv area. They have really expanded the Blu-ray aisles also.

[Beast]

Everything Best Buy does to grow the adoption numbers is great.

Lately they have been having some damn good prices on software as well.

And their recent 30% off Blu-Ray sale sold them a crapload of media.

They should consider doing that every so often, really helps sales.

[Clark Kent]

Best Buy is desperately hoping Blu-rays replace the dying dvd market. Traditional retailers like them stand to lose the most if downloading becomes the norm for consumers, as they have absolutely no exposure to that market. Best Buy has been no friend to Blu-ray before though, and some of their questionable pricing decisions have held back the growth of the format in my judgment.

It is a shame no store has risen to replace Circuit City. The loss of direct competition has made Best Buy a frustrating store to deal with.

[Beast]

The pricing is more on the head of the studios. Best Buy has been having a lot of great deals.

[krazeyeyez]

Originally Posted by Beast

The pricing is more on the head of the studios. Best Buy has been having a lot of great deals.

Only because the studios set a high MSRP and then best buy says hey that number looks fine to me. Plenty of places selling stuff at far less then BB, both BM and online.

[Blu Titan]

The prices on new releases are great. Target is having some great deals on BD movies for Black Friday. All they need is some great $99 BD players.

[jstutman]

The insignia player is already $99. Obviously a perfect price to get the normal mom/pop to get into the BD technology.

[krazeyeyez]

Originally Posted by jstutman

The insignia player is already $99. Obviously a perfect price to get the normal mom/pop to get into the BD technology.

A stripped down no bells and whistles model for $50 is what i am waiting for to really see blu make a hard push into homes.

[Beast]

Originally Posted by krazeyeyez

Only because the studios set a high MSRP and then best buy says hey that number looks fine to me. Plenty of places selling stuff at far less then BB, both BM and online.

You realize thay the MSRP being high, also likely means the store cost is high.

It's not like they can discount things too much. Sure, they do loss leaders on occassion to get people in the store, but it would be stupid of them and suicide if they did it on every release.

[krazeyeyez]

Originally Posted by Beast

You realize thay the MSRP being high, also likely means the store cost is high.

It's not like they can discount things too much. Sure, they do loss leaders on occassion to get people in the store, but it would be stupid of them and suicide if they did it on every release.

Explain then amazon to me, or all the B&M stores in my area always charging far less the bestbuy, to the point they try to not price match anything anymore lol.

[Beast]

Originally Posted by krazeyeyez

Explain then amazon to me, or all the B&M stores in my area always charging far less the bestbuy, to the point they try to not price match anything anymore lol.

Amazon isn't a Brick & Morter.

B&M stores have to maintain a physical store. Numerous physical stores to be exact.

Amazon cuts the overhead by having no physical retail store. Just the webpage and a warehouse.

And not sure what area you're in, but outside of budget titles.... Best Buy is usually cheaper than most.

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by Beast

Amazon isn't a Brick & Morter.

B&M stores have to maintain a physical store. Numerous physical stores to be exact.

Amazon cuts the overhead by having no physical retail store. Just the webpage and a warehouse.

And not sure what area you're in, but outside of budget titles.... Best Buy is usually cheaper than most.

I think you mean catalog titles. Yeah I guess they make up the savings on the new releases by ramping up catalog title prices.

[Beast]

Originally Posted by Wolverine1980

I think you mean catalog titles. Yeah I guess they make up the savings on the new releases by ramping up catalog title prices.

No. I'm talking about the budget titles. Not catalog titles in general.

[steve1971]

They better push Blu ray because Walmart seems to be the one pushing the hardest and I cant stand Walmart!