Borders US Non-selling the Kobo

clintbradford · 07-13-2010, 12:14 AM

On july 3, I reported that none of the five local Borders stores that I called knew a thing about the Kobo. That post is still here.

Well, Borders stores in Southern California have Kobos in stock. At least three of the stores that i visited have them.

But you'd never know it - unless you asked.

The Sony models are on the displays. But not a Kobo in sight. The small brochure is there or the Kobo. That's it.

I feel like I am more excited about my Kobo than Borders' retail stores.

"Oh, we have 'em. They're in the back!" - was the reply from all three stores. One store had a unit that was brought to me to play with. About 10% battery life showed ("yea, we've had it for five days and haven;t charged it yet.") It was Firmware Version 1.0.

This isn't the way I would roll out a new product. If it is not seen, no one can touch it. The only eReaders in sight are the two Son models that they are carrying. Lots of new "Visit our new eReader Store" and "Download our eReader App" signage. Got my free cup of coffee for merely showing my Borders app on my iPod touch.

So the day wasn't totally wasted ... (grin)

Clint Bradford

NickWilliams · 07-13-2010, 12:08 PM

You've already heard my take on the situation.

The reason Sony has a presence and Kobo doesn't is because Sony provided their own kiosks, and they have their own independent reps that come in, set them up, and take care of them. The Sony reps are the ones that clean them, put new decals on them, make sure the units function properly, and keep them stocked with brochures.

Kobo needs to insist on a similar situation if they want equal representation in the stores.

clintbradford · 07-13-2010, 01:13 PM

I would think that a 25 per cent financial stake in a company would merit SOME sort of active, in-store marketing strategy other than, "Oh, yeah, we have 'em - they're in the back ... " -Clint

marleyfan · 07-13-2010, 01:53 PM

Here in Canada Walmart is also selling the kobo. The Walmart I was in yesterday had both the sony and the kobo sitting on the bottom of a display of mp3 players. Both were half hidden by boxes of ipods. Neither had a display unit. The only way that particular Walmart is going to sell either one of those is if people come in specifically looking for one. Not a great way to get sales

J. Strnad · 07-14-2010, 01:27 AM

I wonder if America has lost sight of the importance of the sales clerk. Companies treat them like dirt, pay them miserably, and expect the merchandise to jump off the shelves by itself.

When I sold cameras, we had two sales reps who visited periodically. One was from Minolta, one from Yashica. They demonstrated their cameras to us so that we could demonstrate them to customers. Of the half-dozen brands we carried, guess which cameras we sold the most of. It ain't rocket science, folks.

07-13-2010, 12:14 AM	#1
clintbradford Older ... slower ... Posts: 450 Karma: 1924 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Jurupa Valley CA US Device: Kobo, Kindles 2/3/Keyboard/Fire/Fire HD, HDX.	Borders US Non-selling the Kobo On july 3, I reported that none of the five local Borders stores that I called knew a thing about the Kobo. That post is still here. Well, Borders stores in Southern California have Kobos in stock. At least three of the stores that i visited have them. But you'd never know it - unless you asked. The Sony models are on the displays. But not a Kobo in sight. The small brochure is there or the Kobo. That's it. I feel like I am more excited about my Kobo than Borders' retail stores. "Oh, we have 'em. They're in the back!" - was the reply from all three stores. One store had a unit that was brought to me to play with. About 10% battery life showed ("yea, we've had it for five days and haven;t charged it yet.") It was Firmware Version 1.0. This isn't the way I would roll out a new product. If it is not seen, no one can touch it. The only eReaders in sight are the two Son models that they are carrying. Lots of new "Visit our new eReader Store" and "Download our eReader App" signage. Got my free cup of coffee for merely showing my Borders app on my iPod touch. So the day wasn't totally wasted ... (grin) Clint Bradford

07-13-2010, 01:13 PM	#3
clintbradford Older ... slower ... Posts: 450 Karma: 1924 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Jurupa Valley CA US Device: Kobo, Kindles 2/3/Keyboard/Fire/Fire HD, HDX.	I would think that a 25 per cent financial stake in a company would merit SOME sort of active, in-store marketing strategy other than, "Oh, yeah, we have 'em - they're in the back ... " -Clint Last edited by clintbradford; 07-13-2010 at 04:25 PM. Reason: Typo.

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07-13-2010, 12:08 PM	#2
NickWilliams Member Posts: 14 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: Kobo	You've already heard my take on the situation. The reason Sony has a presence and Kobo doesn't is because Sony provided their own kiosks, and they have their own independent reps that come in, set them up, and take care of them. The Sony reps are the ones that clean them, put new decals on them, make sure the units function properly, and keep them stocked with brochures. Kobo needs to insist on a similar situation if they want equal representation in the stores.

07-13-2010, 01:53 PM	#4
marleyfan Member Posts: 21 Karma: 22 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Surrey, BC Device: kobo, htc hero, comfy chair	Here in Canada Walmart is also selling the kobo. The Walmart I was in yesterday had both the sony and the kobo sitting on the bottom of a display of mp3 players. Both were half hidden by boxes of ipods. Neither had a display unit. The only way that particular Walmart is going to sell either one of those is if people come in specifically looking for one. Not a great way to get sales

07-14-2010, 01:27 AM	#5
J. Strnad Guru Posts: 915 Karma: 3537194 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Kobo, Kindle 3, Paperwhite	I wonder if America has lost sight of the importance of the sales clerk. Companies treat them like dirt, pay them miserably, and expect the merchandise to jump off the shelves by itself. When I sold cameras, we had two sales reps who visited periodically. One was from Minolta, one from Yashica. They demonstrated their cameras to us so that we could demonstrate them to customers. Of the half-dozen brands we carried, guess which cameras we sold the most of. It ain't rocket science, folks.

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