(via: NYTimes.com) Established electronics retailers like Verizon have gone to great lengths in recent months to overhaul their stores. And the heavyweights behind many of the devices — the Microsofts, Googles and Intels — have moved to open retail stores of their own, some temporary, some permanent.

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Behind all the investments in retailing is one of the technology industry’s favorite buzzwords: “user experience.” It reflects a belief that companies need to obsess not only over details of product design, but also the environment in which the products are presented to the public. Apple learned this years ago, creating retail outlets — now totaling more than 400 — that are meant to be high-traffic emporiums of cool.

But they also reflect the growing shakiness of the big-box electronics stores, in the face of searing price competition from Amazon and mass market retailers. Some, like Circuit City, the Good Guys and CompUSA, have vanished, while the biggest specialty retailer in the category, Best Buy, has been on rocky footing.

Continue reading in source article: Tech Companies Press for a Better Retail Experience (NYTimes.com)