Sonos to pull an Apple, launch its own retail store in NY

Sonos is to bring its distinct brand of design to the streets of New York this year as the speaker company leased a space at 101 Green Street - close to an Apple Store (Variety reports).

This may be the company’s first step towards a much larger retail presence, a test-run of sorts to understand how the public will respond to the company’s on-the-ground experience. 

Sonos is no stranger to interesting installations. On more than one occasion the company has set up a complete “house” at SXSW showcasing its products over a number of rooms and use cases. 

One of the interesting challenges faced by Sonos if it brings its products to the high street via its own stores, is the fact that its product cycles are very, very long. 

Sonos introduced only one new speaker in 2015, the rest of the line is over two years old. This could make it challenging for the company to give people a reason to go back to its stores, in spite of constant software updates that keep the hardware current and add new features.

Apple, by contrast, has at least two major product launches per year, and almost its entire line of products is refreshed on an annual basis, giving people plenty of reasons to go back and check out the new gadgets. 

However, it is clear that having its own retail presence will strengthen the perception of Sonos being not just a great line of speakers, but a ‘lifestyle’ brand that could thus differentiate itself from the other wifi speaker systems that are crowding the market. 

 

(Andrea Leonelli)