Microsoft's strategy of selling Surface solely online 'killing product sale'
London, Dec 7 (ANI)
Software giant Microsoft's strategy of selling its Surface tablet solely online and in its US retail stores is 'killing' sales of the product, a new research has claimed
Detwiler Fenton, a Boston-based wealth management firm, said that Microsoft might sell 500,000 to 600,000 Surfaces by Christmas, far below its previous expectation of one to two million.
According to the Telegraph, the firm argues that the current selling strategy led to a 'lack of retail exposure'.
"Mixed reviews and a [USD 499 or and #65533;399] starting price tag certainly don't help, but lack of retail exposure at Best Buy [an American appliance store] and others is severely depressing sales," the report said.
According to the paper, the Surface is available to purchase from Microsoft stores and online only in the US, and is currently online only in the UK and Europe.
The paper said that there are currently just 31 Microsoft stores and 34 smaller popup stores for Christmas in the US serving a potential market of 350 million people.
By contrast, Apple has opened 250 stores dedicated to selling its products and related accessories in the country, with a further 35 in the UK, the paper added.