Verizon Stores Take a Page from Apple
December 28th, 2006 MobileFreak
I could not help but notice the newly opened Verizon store at a mall here in northern Virginia yesterday. Referred to as the Verizon Experience, the store is eerily similar to the wide open, inviting Apple retail stores many of you have seen.
While I have had horrific experiences with Verizon in the past, particularly with their customer service, there were several characteristics about this store that actually impressed me. This was the first time I could see, touch, and talk to someone about all of Verizon’s services. Wireless phone plans, Internet access, cell phone apps and games, and business services were all on full display under one roof. With the increase in availability of bundled packages, this made it easier to see what one could get from such a bundled package.
Every cell phone, laptop, PC, and PDA in the store was powered up and connected to the Internet. You could actually check email, make a phone call if you felt like it, and check out the features of the various devices at your leisure. This is again similar to the Apple stores having their iMacs, Powerbooks, and iPods (and soon to be iTV and iPhone, perhaps) enabled for customer use. Combined with the well-lit layout, signage, and extra literature, this made the Verizon store very difficult to simply walk past without steooing in.
Finally, in the few minutes I was in the store, no fewer than 3 different employees approached me to offer assistance. They were not pushy, and they all were able to answer my questions about the store and its purpose.
According to the store manager, this store in Fairfax, Virginia was one of only two such stores thus far (the other one being in Southlake, TX, just outside Dallas). A Verizon website provides additional details about the stores here.
With few exceptions, most wireless carriers retail stores are small, under-staffed, and include long lines. This made the experience vastly different. While Verizon clearly cannot score many points for originality here (that credit goes to Apple), I must say I was intrigued and even impressed with the overall presentation.
Entry Filed under: Apple, News, Verizon
Here are a few related posts:
iPhone Stores List
Apple iPhone Updates
iPhone Day
Apple iPhone Web App: smartSCORECARD
No comments yet.