The smartphone industry has changed significantly in recent years as the category as evolved because of changes like installment billing, unlimited data plans and the proliferation of prepaid and unlocked devices.
This shift has created more options and choice for consumers, but it has also made it more confusing and complicated to choose the right device and plan.
That’s why Best Buy is revamping the mobile departments in our stores and enhancing the online presence at BestBuy.com to create a better, easier, more seamless shopping experience for customers. The “Mobile 2020” project, as it is known internally, began last year and will roll out to hundreds of stores over the next few months.
In stores, customers will find specially trained employees to help them navigate the many options that are available when shopping for a mobile phone. There will be updated vendor and carrier experiences, and space dedicated to prepaid and unlocked phones, two of the fast-growing areas within the mobile department.
Those stores also will have new menu boards, similar to those found at fast-food restaurants. They’re designed to help customers easily understand the phone and service options, and get a view of the latest promotions.
Meanwhile, BestBuy.com shoppers will notice new product display pages that allow them to select a device and easily view prices, colors, sizes, carriers, plans and upgrade eligibility, all on one page.
With these updates, pricing, in particular, is easier than ever to understand — a necessity with more customers opting for installment billing and unlimited data plans. For example, customers now understand smartphone prices in per-month terms, similar to other bills.
Some of those changes started arriving online in time for the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus smartphones last month.
“We simplified the buying experience and provided clarity of carrier offers and ease of phone selection — and saw our highest-ever Android pre-orders,” Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly said during the company’s first-quarter earnings call on Thursday.
Visit BestBuy.com to learn about and shop for the latest cellphone deals.