Best Buy's Apple Watch sales are a big success
Best Buy's Apple Watch sales have been so robust that the company, which started selling the device in August, ramped up its plans from 300 stores over several months to more than a thousand in just two months. Company CEO Hubert Joly told analysts, “Demand for Apple Watch has been so strong in the stores and online.”
Analysts have been questioning how well Apple Watch really has been selling in part because Apple has been saying little more than it's beating the company's own expectations. Apple's tight-lipped stance on watch sales figures isn't a surprise since the company has said all along that it wouldn't break out those numbers for quarterly earnings reports.
Estimates claim Apple has already outsold all other smartwatch makers combined, but that hasn't been enough to please some analysts and tech market pundits in part because there's been questions as to whether or not the device would have any appeal outside of tech-savvy iPhone users. If Best Buy's sales are any indication, it looks like that shouldn't be a concern.
Retail space isn't cheap, so companies aren't going to dedicate room in their stores for products that aren't selling—and they wouldn't dramatically ramp up their sales plans if customers weren't buying. For Best Buy, that means Apple Watch sales are going so well that the company wants to dedicate far more retail space than they originally planned.
Best Buy is also known for catering to more than just tech gear fans. The company sells computers, televisions, gaming consoles, and appliances to the average consumer. It also sells Apple products including iPhones and iPads to those people, and now it seems they have a taste for Apple Watch, too.
That's big for Apple because it means Apple Watch is drawing in customers that wouldn't make a trip to its own retail stores. It also means the watch will soon be available to potential buyers across the country in locations where there aren't Apple Stores nearby.
For Best Buy, selling Apple products is clearly paying off. Mr. Joly said his company is working even more tightly with Apple, according to Fortune, and will be updating its 740 store-in-a-store locations in time for the holiday buying season. That revamp will include more display tables for Apple products, updated fixtures, and will also include AppleCare sales and service.
Those aren't the kinds of changes a retailer makes for products that aren't selling, and dramatically expanding in-store availability for Apple Watch isn't something Best Buy would do if customers weren't buying.
Translation: It isn't just the tech crowd that wants Apple Watch; the average user, or muggle, that wants one on their wrist, too.