Best Buy will sell a wider assortment of West Coast Custom car audio products than we originally reported. And Best Buy will enter the car customizing market to a small degree.
A Best Buy spokesman said the big box chain will sell rear seat mobile video products and car audio amplifiers under the WCC label as well as subwoofers, crossovers and speakers. In addition Best Buy will sell “aftermarket customization products” for the car under the WCC label. These include products to upgrade car upholstery and to add “graphics work” to the car’s exterior, he said.
Best Buy is also testing selling custom wheels under the West Coast Customs label in 7 locations.
A second Best Buy spokesperson said the store will also sell “safety, security and convenience” products under the WCC label as well as window tint and waxes and cleaners.
A spokeswoman for West Coast Customs said the company is now negotiating with car radio suppliers to offer in dash radios under the WCC brand.
As reported Monday, many of the above products will roll out to 465 (correction from 466) stores starting this summer.
Two reliable sources said the maker of the amps and speakers under the WCC brand is a boutique brand high end car audio amp and speaker supplier.
You can see videos of the Best Buy and WCC cross promotion on Bestbuy.com here.
Source: CEoutlook
This just seems crazy… Best buy has a hard enough time installing the products they have now. Our local Best buy sends us enough work on Saturdays to fill two install bays. Only because there is so many things or cars they will not work on. To have them start doing custom work would be awesome! Like Barry said, it will make customers more aware of the possibilities. And we all know they are not going to give it away. Win, Win!
One of my installers who is pretty much on call here applied at Best Buy here in washington for a full time job. In the interview process they told him that they have 4 installers and they longest one has been installing for 3 months.
Why do we have to rely upon others to drive business to our independent retailers? If we have an advertising budget, well thought out plan, and promotions designed to SELL THROUGH, we are more than capable of driving traffic to our stores.
Have independent retailers really given up on being promotional? Not all of us, that’s for sure. We have MAJOR promotions 11 weeks out of the year, and “regular” advertising runs and additional 9 weeks out of the year, not to mention web blasts every 2 weeks (virtually at no cost) and other in-store only promotions!
Independents !! It is our time to shine and to recapture our rightful place in the Car Audio Industry, as the leaders, innovators, and promotion specialists!!
‘Nuff said
This could be a good strategic move for Best Buy. However it is possible that the execution may be more difficult than they think. The good news is that this may also drive more consumers to independents for some of the same services that Best Buy will now promote. What a shame that we must depend upon others to drive business to the independent.