Razer opens new store in Silicon Valley. We went to its grand opening
Who said brick and mortar stores are dead?
At a time when malls are on a downward trend in the US, Razer has been picking up vacant slots left and right. In fact, the company has opened at least 22 new locations across the globe in just the past two years. The latest store happens to be right here in the Westfield Valley Fair Mall at the heart of Silicon Valley. It's the first Razer store in the NorCal region after having opened its San Francisco location all the way back in 2016.
Of course, a lot has changed in those eight years. During the grand opening of the Westfield Valley store over the weekend, we had a chance to catch up with Razer Global Senior Director of Retail Christine Cherel who explained to us the concept of the new store and how it differs from the older San Francisco location. In essence, the Silicon Valley store emphasizes "a brighter and more welcoming atmosphere", according to Cherel, to encourage players to visit and actually play around with the devices before making a purchase. Visually, this means more ambient lighting and colors in contrast to the jet black walls and tables of the San Francisco location.
It's all part of the "Touch. Play. Stay." initiative that translates to happier visitors who are then more likely to become customers. The conversion rate for people who come and experience Razer devices firsthand are "2x to 4x higher when compared to online shoppers", claims Cherel. For example, users can come in with their old keyboards to compare them with the Razer keyboards and even play CS:GO in the LAN area for a test run before purchasing. That level of flexibility or user experience isn't usually available in big box retailers like Best Buy or Walmart.
A solid example and direct contrast to Razer's brick-and-mortar strategy is Asus' recent partnership with Ikea. Some Ikea stores have a small section dedicated to showing off Asus ROG products and accessories. Unlike Razer, however, these areas aren't manned and so the customer experience isn't as personal. A trip to a nearby Ikea with the Asus showcase revealed it to be rather sterile setup when compared to the dedicated Razer store.
Razer is also promising stock of new products at launch for all store locations which is probably the biggest advantage when compared to most other manufacturers. All too often will Alienware, Asus, or Lenovo launch new laptops that are only available online with almost no in-store presence or showcase. When the next Razer Blade inevitably makes its debut, customers can simply visit a Razer store on launch date to test it in person instead of relying solely on online impressions from YouTubers or journalists.
While the advantages of a walk-in store are valid, some locations are definitely doing better than others. The San Francisco store, for example, barely gets any foot traffic while the London store has been a key overperformer. Each store is strategically located in affluent areas, but we'll have to see how popular this latest store will be with Silicon Valley residents.
