Is Microsoft Planning on Having Blue Light Specials?

Put yourself in the shoes of the manger Microsoft product for just a moment. You have a little challenge: working for a very large and very powerful company that has lost its cool. In each category, in which once reigned supreme, now you have a pesky competitors show products which are seen to be much more sexier than yours are. To get back in touch with your customers, what would you do? Perhaps the opening of trade will be the answer ...
Microsoft's Next Big Idea (Please return all carts to the store)
It seems like Apple run away success with its ultra-cool Apple Store is not lost on Microsoft people in Redmond. Taking a page from Apple playbook they have decided to go ahead and open its first store in Scottsdale, Arizona.
It seems like Apple run away success with its ultra-cool Apple Store is not lost on Microsoft people in Redmond. Taking a page from Apple playbook they have decided to go ahead and open its first store in Scottsdale, Arizona.
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It seems like Apple run away success with its ultra-cool Apple Store is not lost on Microsoft people in Redmond. Taking a page from Apple playbook they have decided to go ahead and open its first store in Scottsdale, Arizona.
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Microsoft has stated that their reason for opening the store is that they want back in touch with your customers. David Porter, a Microsoft VP retail outlets (in fact, only one store right now), said: "Our customers have told us they want more choices, more value and better service, and that's what we deliver through our Microsoft store."
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why Microsoft has to make a
mistake ...
Unfortunately, I think that the Microsoft product manager making a big mistake. I'm willing to bet that this is an unhappy attempt to compete with Apple long after Apple has figured out how to do this little thing and do it well will go down in flames.
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Unfortunately, I think that the Microsoft product manager making a big mistake. I'm willing to bet that this is an unhappy attempt to compete with Apple long after Apple has figured out how to do this little thing and do it well will go down in flames.
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First of all, before you start a project like this, you must have a very clear reason for doing it - getting closer to your customer's problem is not that they are having, it is a problem that you have. So, what exactly is the problem of solving this store?
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First of all, before you start a project like this, you must have a very clear reason for doing it - getting closer to your customer's problem is not that they are having, it is a problem that you have. So, what exactly is the problem of solving this store?
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Along the same lines, I'd like to go to the Apple Store. This is because I know that Apple has cool stuff. I would like to see the latest iPod Nano, iPhone, iTouch, etc. I can not name one cool Microsoft product that I would like to drop by and see. Microsoft Office 2010? Nah ...
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Along the same lines, I'd like to go to the Apple Store. This is because I know that Apple has cool stuff. I would like to see the latest iPod Nano, iPhone, iTouch, etc. I can not name one cool Microsoft product that I would like to drop by and see. Microsoft Office 2010? Nah ...
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Walmart? I do not know about you, but Walmart is just about how much of a cool as you can possibly get. Here, there never will be a lot of Microsoft coming, so why would you hire someone who specializes in high volume, low cost of the operation?
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So it's easy to throw stones at Microsoft products crib ideas. But that's not what we're all about here at Accidental Product Manager. How about if we take a few moments and see if we can give them some useful product management suggestions?
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The first thing that they need to do is identify what the customer is going to solve the problem of trafficking. Because Microsoft products are pretty much ubiquitous, actually sold more product looks like it would be a waste of time. I'd suggest that instead focus on customers that shows how easy it is to use and how powerful Microsoft products. This means that Microsoft Store does exist to allow people to come in, touch the product and ask detailed questions about the products very well trained staff. Now that would be valuable the next time you are stuck trying to create an Excel macro.
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the next thing they need to do is to get a realistic picture of the shops. After that guy running from Walmart stores scares me - I think everything is OK. Instead, Microsoft should create a "vibe" for their trade. Maybe the right setup will be to create a store that is like a house: bedroom, living room, office, etc. They would be the appropriate products in the right "room". Then each "room" can have its own sense - business-like atmosphere for the office, relax for a family room, etc. It would certainly be better than feeling like you've visited Walmart ...
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Competition can make the product managers to do the strangest things. All too often we see our competition to make a move if it seems to be working for them, then we start to dream about doing the same thing themselves.
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Competition can make the product managers to do the strangest things. All too often we see our competition to make a move if it seems to be working for them, then we start to dream about doing the same thing themselves.
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Microsoft product mangers apparently became jealous of the success of Apple with its shops, and so they plan on trying to copy them. However, without a clear business reason for it they appear to be headed off to nowhere.
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