The Hindu Business Line : UniverCell opens first concept store in Chennai

Chennai, March 18 Learning from Nokia, the pioneers in experiential marketing, mobile retailer UniverCell recently launched the first-of-its-kind mobile touch-and-feel concept store, UniverCell Live, in Chennai.

Answering to a query on the choice of the city, Mr Sathish Babu, Proprietor of the chain, says, “We are already popular here and we expect a natural spill-over effect. Moreover, this is our 200th store and we wanted to give back to the city where we started 11 years back with just five hands.”

Not revealing figures, he noted that the initial investment was quite heavy.

“At a time where everyone is dreading to step into serious retail, we’ve taken a bold step as we want to bring some excitement in mobile retailing.”

UniverCell also plans to open stores in Bangalore and Hyderabad in the next couple of months.

Buying pattern

Elaborating on a study conducted by UniverCell to understand buying behaviour, Mr Sathish Babu says “The buyer walks into a store with a set thought-pattern. He already has the budget, features, model and brand in mind. Once he spots the range of mobiles that cater to his expectations, he would like to touch, feel and experience the phone. This is where UniverCell Live steps in.”

UniverCell has categorised the showroom into zones of Listen (FM & MP3 phones), Shoot (Camera phones), Play (Gaming and Video phones) and Connect (Business phones), allowing every customer to browse, examine and experience.

The store will house a minimum of 100 phones at any point of time, covering all brands and all price points. “From a basic entry-level model to a Rs1 lakh phone, everything will be on display,” he added. The store will have experts to assist the customer while choosing the phone.

The store will also have security cameras to enable the salesmen to keep a watch on customers.

Freebies too

Talking about advertising and promotional activities for the store, Mr Sathish Babu, says “UniverCell Live is the first of its kind. We had invested a lot in promos initially. We have plans of giving away freebies such as Bluetooth headsets, car chargers and the like for purchases above Rs 10,000. But, beyond just promotion; the store allows the consumer to have a holistic view of a mobile phone of his choice. It’s all about experience.”

With the advantage of having the maximum number of retail outlets in the country, UniverCell also manages to get the maximum discounts from manufacturers and claims to pass on the benefit to the buyer.

More Stories on : Retailing | Telecommunications | Tamil Nadu

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