If you've ever wondered what the mobile industry would be like if Samsung suddenly sprouted its own retail channel out of thin air in more than a thousand locations across the U.S., then you probably should stop daydreaming strange things and get back to work. Still, as ubiquitous as Samsung's influence has become in the mobile landscape throughout the last couple of years, they are about to take things to a whole new level and you will soon get to see the results of your daydreaming. Samsung just officially announced they will be opening 1,400 "Samsung Experience" retail shop locations within Best Buy stores across the United States.
They won't be some tiny little kiosk either. Each "Samsung Experience" location will be like a mini store-within a store and utilize upwards of 460 square feet at each Best Buy location. Also, for most locations, it will be one of the first things consumers see when they walk into Best Buy, complete with gleaming 10-foot tall "Galaxy S" signs and much more. Samsung plans to hire thousands of people to man these stations to work alongside the traditional Best Buy "blue shirts."
Samsung is definitely doing this big. Reportedly they intend to actually have the Galaxy S4 available for people to see at these locations ahead of its actual retail launch. This is a brilliant marketing move and could really generate further excitement for the flagship. It certainly looks like Samsung is spending some of their $11 Billion dollar marketing budget wisely.
It almost makes you feel sorry for their competitors, like LG, HTC and Sony. Samsung has become the guy at the poker table with the most chips. It's getting tougher and tougher for anyone else to make a dent.
Source: BestBuy - Samsung Experience