By James Wells
SYDNEY: Sony Australia has committed to increasing the number of Sony World concept stores from seven to 22 this year while also boosting the HD World concept from 53 to 110 stores to plug what the company perceives as an education gap.
“The desire for new technology is leaving an education gap and these in-store initiatives have been created to go some way to plug the gap by educating and cross-selling at the shopfront,” said Sony Australia general manager of consumer AV and IT sales, David Hargreaves.
“Unfortunately, not everyone can take advantage of these Sony Worlds this year but we will be rolling out a wide variety of shopfront display stands that are designed to assist in specific category communication and education direct to the customer.
“Examples we’ve got in the pipeline include new Bravia walls, HD vs SD demonstration displays and we’re also going to be rolling out a Bluetooth audio united display stand.
“These new stands will help you take advantage of the new opportunities with Bluetooth technology, on the move, in the home and in the car.
“Just to be clear, we’re upping the ante with these in-store initiatives to help you cross-sell, keep the average sale price high and ultimately generate more sales and margin,” said Hargreaves.
“Other customer focused activities we are stepping up includes the supply of images for your catalogues. We’re expanding the range to include more lifestyle images, a wider variety of product shots and connected products working together.
“I’ve talked before about the polarisation of the market and the importance of focusing on segmenting the products that are right for your customer base. Moving forward I’d like for us to work together on the opportunities not only in high definition but also new areas like Bluetooth to ensure the mix of products you stock is right for your customers."