Dell retail chief: ‘Physical stores are becoming centers of entertainment experiences’

Its new flagship Alienware outlet is not just another traditional retail store to sell PCs… it is more to do with “experience and touch-and-feel”. “This is a space where gamers can game and hang out, and that’s something we are starting and maybe it could be the blueprint for the future,” she says.

Various laptops at display at the Alienware experience store (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia / Indian Express)

There are, of course, plenty of retail outlets where consumers can go and check out Alienware products. What makes this new Alienware outlet different is the experience.

Located in Nehru Place, the biggest market in Asia for computer hardware, software and accessories, the store’s interiors have a futuristic feel to it, be it colours or templates, resembling Alienware’s gaming PCs the brand is known for. The store offers something called the “Battle  Zone,” which allows gamers to play against their opponents as well as a dedicated zone for creators.

Unlike a typical PC store, Dell’s idea behind the flagship Alienware experience center is not to push customers to buy products. They are welcome to walk around, check the products, interact with fellow gamers, and walk out even if they don’t want to buy anything. The store will be the home to discover Alienware products as well as devices from Dell’s own gaming portfolio, besides accessories.

Silveira is Dell’s senior vice president of global channel sales. She is a veteran who has been with Dell for over 20 years. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

As Silveira describes, the core belief behind Alienware’s first experience store is to showcase not just the entire ecosystem that Dell and Alienware offer to consumers but also a great post-sale experience with the warranty and the services. “It goes beyond the PCs,” she says.

For Dell, retail stores have long been one of the important ways to reach out to consumers. It has 600 exclusive retail stores and is present across 5000 multi-brand outlets in India. Silveira admits that customer expectations have changed and Dell is trying to retrofit Dell stores for a post-pandemic world.

Silveira recalls there used to be a time when the performance of a store was measured on the basis of how much sales the store brought in. But the idea of a retail store has significantly changed over the years. E-commerce adoption has accelerated during the pandemic and people’s concept of a retail store is not the same as it used to be a few years back.

“Presence is very important,” she says. “We are always looking at providing the best ecosystem to the customers where they prefer to buy from us, be it stores or online or whatever.”

Before Dell opens a new store, a lot of thought goes in: “It’s not necessarily a revenue-specific goal but more to do with the type of experience we can provide to customers, and how that plays in our entire strategy.”

Dell’s launch of a standalone Alienware experience store tells a lot about how the company wants to position the high-end gaming PC brand in India. Alienware has always been synonymous with superior gaming performance, over-the-top design, and premium pricing. “It’s a mature brand at this point, extremely premium, and solid with gamers.”