Sprint Reinvents the Retail Experience24 February 2005
Sprint today unveiled an "extreme makeover" designed to change the way consumers shop for communications services in retail stores. The newly redesigned Sprint Stores, launching throughout 2005, mix cutting-edge design and customer-friendly programs to make shopping for communications services a unique and Zen-like experience.
"When you purchase a wireless phone, you're really making a long-term investment in a communications partner, so Sprint created a retail concept that embodies the customer-centric attitude and consultative shopping experience that customers expect," said Jim Mickey, vice president - Sprint Store Management. "In the past, we viewed ourselves as a communications provider with a retail presence; but within our stores, we're really a retailer who provides communications services. We've created a concept that breaks the mold of the traditional telecom retail store."
Additionally, existing Sprint Stores are implementing convenience-driven improvements such as In-Store Repair, reducing the need to send phones out for repair and the wait time for customers; eTicket, software that allows store staff to more quickly assess and manage handset issues; and a designated Host to assist customers as they enter the store.
In the spirit of innovation built at Sprint, the entire Sprint Store has been redesigned to integrate a modern, upscale purchasing experience. The new floor plan includes more open space for easy, self-guided navigation and enables customers to browse merchandise and gather information to aid in their purchasing decision. For example, accessories (ear buds, travel chargers, cigarette lighter adapters, etc.) are conveniently organized in cabinets alongside the device to better organize the customers' additional purchasing needs.
The new store also incorporates significant atmosphere enhancements, from the music playing overhead in the store -- which is a compilation of music that customers can also download as ringers on their phones -- to graphics that can easily be changed with the seasons.
Sprint worked with Los Angeles-based designer Richard Altuna and local Kansas City firm Rees Masilionis Turley to create the new store design. Richard Altuna has designed stores for retailers such as Pottery Barn, Gap, Origins and the NBA store and for venues including the Houston Rockets arena.
"Sprint partnered with Richard Altuna to make a bold leap in improving the customer experience," said Mickey. "He has a gift for seeing the retail experience through the customers' eyes and feeling what they feel."
There are currently five stores servicing customer needs with this new design (Fairfax, Va.; Los Angeles; Kansas City, Mo.; Lexington, Ky.; and San Antonio). Sprint plans to retrofit 100 of its existing stores and complete 35 to 40 new builds incorporating the new floor plan and functionality.
The new store functionality includes: -- Tech Window - For the first time, customers will be able to openly view Sprint service technicians repairing customer devices. The new design gives customers more information about what is happening when technicians are diagnosing and repairing customer devices. -- Host Concept and Virtual Queue - The host provides an inviting welcome to guests. It is the first in-person experience for the customer. The host will help answer questions for the customer, set realistic expectations for sales-floor experience and introduce the customer to the Sprint associate that will help the customer make their purchase decision. The Virtual Queue is a high-tech waiting list. It enables the customers to manage their own experience by keeping them informed as to the number of customers who arrived ahead of them and the estimated wait. -- Reservations - Sprint Reservations was developed to aid customers in managing their own in-store experience by planning ahead and scheduling a time to meet with a Sprint associate at a time that is more convenient for the customer. -- Accessory Express Lane - Many customers visit Sprint Stores with a simple goal of purchasing an accessory for the device. The Accessory Express Lane is designed for those customers who have a simple need and do not require the detailed consultation and assistance normally provided by a Sprint associate during the activation process.
About Sprint
Sprint offers an extensive range of innovative communication products and solutions, including global IP, wireless, local and multiproduct bundles. A Fortune 100 company with more than $27 billion in annual revenues in 2004, Sprint is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying state- of-the-art network technologies, including the United States' first nationwide all-digital, fiber-optic network; an award-winning Tier 1 Internet backbone; and one of the largest 100-percent digital, nationwide wireless networks in the United States. For more information, visit http://www.sprint.com/mr .
Sprint
CONTACT: Melinda Tiemeyer of Sprint, +1-913-794-1089,
melinda.g.tiemeyer@mail.sprint.com
Web site: http://www.sprint.com/mr
Source: ArriveNet
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