News of Bose’s decision to shutter nearly half of its physical stores worldwide had saddened many, including the company itself, but business analysts said the move would mean improved profit for the Massachussets-based audio products manufacturer. The company will maintain the operations of 130 stores throughout China, the United Arab Emirates, India, and other Asian countries such as South Korea. While the move may have left many speculating it would mean less awareness of the Bose brand, business experts said the company has already established itself in the market that a shift to online retail can do Bose more good than harm.
Better Financial Performance
Mark A. Cohen, director of retail studies at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business, told Forbes that the company’s retreat from brick-and-mortar “will not likely affect its sales very much and will likely improve its profitability.” He cited as factors the potential for its online business and remaining retail stores to continue with their growth. For its 2019 fiscal year, Bose generated $4 billion in revenues, unchanged from the 2018-level.
Put More Reseller-Partners On-Board
Anindya Ghose, Heinz Riehl Chair professor of business at New York University’s (NYU) Stern School of Business and the Director of the Masters of Business Analytics program at NYU Stern, commented: However, Ghose said Bose should continue adding third-party sellers and an effective pricing strategy to compete with its rivals.
Using Store Closing Savings on Advertising
“It could also benefit more from customer acquisition through targeted digital advertising (by diverting some of its cost savings from store closings),” Ghose said. “Finally, it could try to leverage organic word-of-mouth from its existing loyal base of customers through nurturing online communities,” he added.
