ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
Sorry for getting all into stores closing and the reasons why, but I've seen so many people throw in the towel lately I feel the ones hanging in there need all the support they can get..
I'd like to ask you all what exactly, if you had a wish list, you'd like from a B&O store.. What would make you visit one regularly, what would keep your interest - and what would keep you loyal to the brand?
It's clear that salesmen who think they're better than you, who know little or nothing about the products, waltzing round on a crappy, drab grey carpet then sitting down to email and mail-shot you to death are not the way forward..
So, tell me - what would make you excited enough to visit your B&O store on a regular basis, just like when I was in my late teens and early 20's? I'd just go down to marvel at the products, enjoy a salesman who was passionate about the brand and didn't care wether you could afford it now or not, who would demo anything and everything to you because he enjoyed the demo as much as you did, and didn't judge you.
However, nobody seems to walk into the stores these days - so all they have left is to mailshot and email. It's catch 22, and I really feel for the dealers..
Over to you. The question again...
I'll start - when I was a University student I passed my B&O store every day on the way to shirk. I was aware of the brand - my brother in law was a 2200 system owner. One day the 5000 system appeared in the shop window ............... I became the proverbial "window licker"! I would stare at it through the window for many minutes at a time, that and the RL speakers.......futuristic but zen!!
I eventually gave away my third year student grant to buy the 5000 system I saw, even though I could ill afford it at the time and suffered bouncing checks late in the year because of it!
I'm looking at it now and it's on it's last legs, needs constant nudges and pokes to work and it's in dire need of a good overhaul and service ............ nevertheless, it hasn't let me down in approaching 30 years (and it would break my heart to remove it from my living room)!!
Notwithstanding the advances in technology, ........................... please make we want to "lick the window" again (at planet earth prices)!!!!
Ban boring signatures!
A passionate and skilled shop-owner and his ditto personal!
And the products of cource - but, they have more there than I can afford or find a place in my house for.
There are plenty of shops in my area, that I like to visit 😃
Greetings Millemissen
There is a tv - and there is a BV
@Puncher.. Nice Story!
When I was 17 I got intrested in the B&O after been showen it (it was a mixed brand shop in thoses days) and what it could do! I could not afford B&O at the time just had the jap stuff but after seeing it,touching it ,hearing it I was hooked..2 years later I had a 5500 system and added a record deck later.When I moved out the iceing on the cake was linking each room for sound and too this day I still have B&O because of the link system and the way it works.
In those days sales people did not push and took the time with the brand even if you were just looking because weeks,months, a year or two later you could become there next customer and someone they would like to keep returning.Theses days some dealers don't seam bothered or they make you feel why did I walk through the door...
For me to go to a store it would have to be not too far away (my local dealers have gone) Someone that would enjoy doing the demo and guide you through the product and products that you would be interested in ,to go there in the first place and did not seam to judge you! Also im interested in the item not the flashy shop or how nice your carpet looks.
As Puncher said (planet earth prices) as well would be nice!
Oh to be working with B&O gear again....
Millemissen: A passionate and skilled shop-owner and his ditto personal!
I know MM doesn't like long stories ;) so I will keep this short as possible but this rings so true. I recently met a gentleman named Kirk over the phone who owns the B&O store in Kansas City (about 300 miles from me) and I have never met anyone so willing to share his knowledge and just discuss B&O for the hell of it, not even with any guarantee that I was even going to buy anything. In fact, all I have bought so far are small items like boxes and such. But now I won't forget him and I know where I'm always going to go if I need the help of a store in purchasing a new item or a part.
This kind of attention to the customer is all I really care about from the store perspective, with so few stores in this country. Since he comes into my area on a frequent basis and is willing to ship things directly to me, I don't even technically need the brick and mortar store here near me.
Millemissen:A passionate and skilled shop-owner and his ditto personal!
Agree with MM, plus sparepart and repairservice, my experiences here in Mexico are not the best, but the new sub with speakers nearly made me want to go there again, but will probably buy somewhere else as Mex. prices normally are at least the double of DK prices.
What I want is knowledge able personal, an ambient made for listening/viewing, no difference of handling costumers, at times I go shopping in my work wear and get "the guy just want to look" treatment.
If I buy I want fast and good service also in after sales.
Collecting Vintage B&O is not a hobby, its a lifestyle.
Answering in the old business school 'marketing mix' format ....
Products - stylish, elegant products which truly match the form & function motto and don't look like over priced blinged up tat.
Price - products in a range of prices, but mostly in the upper middle segment, which offer value for money (not low cost, but good performance for price).
Place - convenient locations, maybe as boutiques in other hifi/electronics stores (ie like dealers used to be or similar to how Apple have dedicated space in PC World).
Promotion - I would value the brand more if it was targetted more at people like me - educated/professional types rather than the super rich, professional footballers and drug dealers.
People - shops need to staffed by people who are knowledgable about the sector as a whole and not just giving the B&O spin. This could easily be achieved if the B&O products were sold alongside other hifi or electronic products.
In short the current B&O stores come across as being isolated sterile environments where staff are often ill informed and customers an inconvenience.
9 LEE: just like when I was in my late teens and early 20's? I'd just go down to marvel at the products, enjoy a salesman who was passionate about the brand and didn't care wether you could afford it now or not, who would demo anything and everything to you because he enjoyed the demo as much as you did, and didn't judge you.
just like when I was in my late teens and early 20's? I'd just go down to marvel at the products, enjoy a salesman who was passionate about the brand and didn't care wether you could afford it now or not, who would demo anything and everything to you because he enjoyed the demo as much as you did, and didn't judge you.
Lee, you said it yourself. This would make me walk in.
Too long to list....
Last Saturday, after a long time, I visited a general (relatively high-end) audio/video store. They sell B&O next to other brands, but have a special room for B&O products.
I really enjoyed the visit, because there was a lot to see and try, and is was actually quite busy with people all over the shop.
To be honest I think this is a better concept. More to see, more to come back for, and it will also show B&O products to people who aren't interested in the brand yet, but might become customers after seeing and hearing it.
Kind regards Joost
BeoVision 11-55, BeoLab 8000, BeoRemote One BT, AppleTV 4, 2x BeoPlay A2, BeoPlay A1
Beosound Stage, Beovision 8-40, Beolit 20, Beosound Explore.
9 LEE: However, nobody seems to walk into the stores these days - so all they have left is to mailshot and email. It's catch 22, and I really feel for the dealers..
Sadly I think we're the wrong people to ask. I'm not speaking for everyone, but I don't think many of us are avoiding going in a local store. I just don't go in as much as I used to do.
You go in to a retail store for a reason. To purchase a product. In my experience, particularly in hard times, retailers don't like you going in for the sake of visiting the store, so I don't bother. As I've not purchased* any B&O kit since my BV11, in December 2012, I've simply had no reason to visit a store.
I've said it before, but B&O has a very unique consumer electronics business sales model where they increase the price of their products over a period of time. A BL3, for example, can start out at a reasonable £1500 in 2006, ending up at £2500 in 2013, seven years later. For the same speaker. People aren't stupid. The few traditional B&O customers I know are put off by this. They see, say, a BV7 for £9.5K. It takes them a couple years to make a decision - which is one reason people used to visit the stores more frequently - and the same BV7 is now over £11K. I know some of us would argue 'well, if you're going to spend £9.5K, why not over £11K', but everyone has their limits. Especially when Moss of Bath is selling the same sized TV for little more than £1K.
I don't think stores can do much to combat this, sadly. The only thing I can think of is for them to work more closely with the likes of LifeStyle and MoreThan to give customer's a good trade-in price from their existing B&O TV, so they can upgraded more regularly (which would help the customer justify the huge price, knowing they an trade it back in later). This is something that's rarely advertised or promoted. Sure, you get newsletters offering £500, but that's barely going to make any impact on a £10K BV11/BV7. Sadly though, stores don't like to push trade-ins as there are only so many they can accept. Yes, catch-22.
*edit: I forgot about the BV10-32 purchase, but this wasn't from a local store
My experience with the bang&olufsen stores/B&O customers support over the years was better than very good but it is not the stores the problem is it???it is the product they trying to sell,mission impossible for these guys in the 21st century/second decade!!! and I say that cause the products do not reflect that!! well some of them!!.why apple for example selling their products better than pc also at twice the price perhaps more!!???,cause people buying it thinks it is worth paying that price and happy to part with their money credit crunch or not!!!!
It sounds negative but I think bno really need to get their act together big time - this is the last drink at the last chance saloon , if they mess up with Tue at the helm , that's it. bye bye bno
That means embracing the 21st century and starting with a clean slate - ditch almost the entire range ( maybe the whole thing ) and start all over again with a brand new ethos and new designer.
They need to find the next David Lewis / Jacob Jensen AND QUICK !!!!!
I hate to sound like a broken record (pun fully intended), but the only thing that would get me into a B&O store is if they started selling turntables and/or cartridges again.
And for the record (pun fully intended again), there is only one type of shop that gets me in on a regular basis: used record stores.
moxxey:I've said it before, but B&O has a very unique consumer electronics business sales model where they increase the price of their products over a period of time. A BL3, for example, can start out at a reasonable £1500 in 2006, ending up at £2500 in 2013, seven years later. For the same speaker. People aren't stupid.
B&O is a Danish company and they operate in DKK (which has been very rigidly tied to the Euro for all this millennium).
Using the prices of your example and the exchange rates back then, £1500 was 2200 euros in mid-2006. Now, £2500 is 2900 euros. That is about 32% increase (not counting inflation) as seen by the mother company, not +66% as your figures make it sound.
I don't know what the price increase has been here over the same period, but I suspect it is more than +33%, meaning that the UK sales have essentially been subsidised by B&O. I know it's the same speaker, but has it somehow gotten worse during that time, or are there any new contestants that are somehow better? Genelecs are fine, but I couldn't stand watching them at home.
--mika