COVID-19 has shown businesses a new way of doing business and just like Bill Gates predicted in his book “Business @ the speed of thought” in 1999, Microsoft is not pushing towards pulling the plug on its brick and mortar stores.
Microsoft inaugurated its first store little over a decade ago, now the company is closing all its physical retail outlets across the world, permanently according to David Porter, corporate VP for Microsoft Store. The statement was issued in a LinkedIn post.
“As part of our business plan, we announced a strategic change in our retail operations, including closing Microsoft Store physical locations,” Porter said. “Our retail team members will continue to serve customers working from Microsoft corporate facilities or remotely and we will continue to develop our diverse team in support of the overall company mission and objectives.”
As we look forward, we start a new chapter for Microsoft Store. Our team has proven success serving customers beyond any physical location. We are energized about the opportunity to innovate in how we engage with all customers, optimize our talent for greatest impact, and most importantly – help our valued customers achieve more, says David Porter.
Microsoft software and hardware sales have continued to shift online as the company has seen strong growth in traffic, sales on Microsoft.com. The company’s digital Xbox and Windows storefronts have reached up to 1.2 billion monthly customers in 190 markets.
Microsoft New Approach:
The company aims to make its digital storefronts the best place to learn, buy, and receive instant support for software and hardware. Microsoft offers virtual customer support from its trusted experts. The company plans to invest more in innovative digital solutions that also include video sales support. Yes, you read it right, video sales support and that would be a lead for many other businesses to follow in the future.