Best Buy Launches Store For and By Women

Springwise Newsletter, October 7, 2008 — Reflecting the fact that women make the majority of consumer purchase decisions these days, a number of companies have begun exhibiting signs of female fever, as our sister site trendwatching.com would put it. We've already covered instances in the automotive, construction and transportation industries, to name a few, and now consumer electronics giant Best Buy appears to have succumbed as well.

This past weekend Best Buy opened a new store in Aurora, Colo., that was designed with women in mind. Specifically, the company asked 40 local female customers and its own Women’s Leadership Forum—or WoLF pack—to participate in the design of the new store.

Best Buy Taps 'Prediction Market'†

Imaginary Stocks Let Workers Forecast Whether Retailer's Plans Will Meet Goals

Wall Street Journal, September 16, 2008 — When executives at electronics retailer Best Buy Co. want to know if a new product or idea is likely to succeed, they can seek the opinion of rank-and-file employees by turning to the company's "prediction market."

The market, called TagTrade, allows Best Buy's workers to trade imaginary stocks based on answers to managers' questions. The market's judgment has often proved to be more accurate than the company's official forecasts.

Electronics retailers find service sells

USA Today, July 23, 2008 — Three of the TVs are dark in Wal-Mart's electronics department, where the only two clerks in sight stock a shelf and disappear. At a nearby Target, the digital camera desk is unmanned, and there's no staff roaming electronics. In Circuit City, a clerk concedes it's his first day on the job and first week in the country.

Where Do the Best Ideas Come From? The Unlikeliest Sources†

Peers, Suppliers Can Spark Some Great Innovations for Marketers

Advertising Age, July 17, 2008 — There's a "secret sauce," as a friend would put it, to creating a recipe that works for serving up innovation success. But if businesses have trouble getting it quite right, it's because they're short on a critical ingredient: inspiration.

Best Buy Moves to More Mobile Selections†

Chain Expands Choices for Handsets and Plans; Ringing Success, So Far

Wall Street Journal, July 12, 2007 — Like most of its rivals, Best Buy Co., the largest independent U.S. electronics retailer, used to sell just a small selection of cellphones with subscription plans from Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel Corp. and AT&T Inc.

But late last year, the company decided to expand its offering to include more carriers and many more phone choices.

Call for a modern retail experience†

Financial Times, February 8, 2006 —

Best Buy Test Store has Wellness Focus

St. Paul Pioneer Press, January 24, 2005 — Best Buy Co.'s latest attempt to attract more women is a test store that offers everything from massages and vitamins to MP3 players and defibrillators.

Top Marketing Officers Find Getting Together Helps Them Do the Job†

Wall Street Journal, January 11, 2005 — AS CHIEF marketing officers, Judy Verses of Verizon, Michael Linton of Best Buy and Andrea Ragnetti of Philips Electronics are responsible for promoting very different products. Yet they share many of the same challenges in a job that has become increasingly complex and risky.