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.