Mort Rosenthal sees a gaping whole in the wireless retail industry, and he’s hoping to fill it with IMO.
An entrepreneur with a background in software distribution, Rosenthal founded IMO-short for `independent mobile”-in 2004 after growing frustrated shopping for a wireless phone and service. The company opened its first store in Columbus, Ohio, in November, and last week raised the curtain on a second outlet, in Framingham, southwest of Boston.
Rosenthal said he is seeking to capitalize on what some say is a major shortcoming in wireless: dissatisfaction at the sales counter. The NPD Group in November released figures indicating that only 24 percent of recent mobile-phone buyers reported a good or excellent experience, and carriers delivered a particularly disappointing point-of-purchase atmosphere.
Big-box retailers and electronics outlets consistently offered a better shopping experience than carrier-branded stores, the research firm said, with RadioShack Corp. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. outperforming their peers.
“I would say that consumers are not well-served by the retail channel,” Rosenthal echoed, “whether (by carriers themselves) or by third parties who are really not very good at creating a customer experience that’s a good one.”
IMO, which offers phones from every Tier 1 carrier, aims to showcase a variety of phones and carriers presented in roomy, well-lighted storefronts. Shoppers can use a computer program to select devices based on personal preferences, and staffers carry phones through surrounding areas to help create accurate coverage maps.
Rosenthal said IMO plans to expand in both the Columbus and Boston markets this year and next, with an eye toward building a national presence in the next few years with centrally owned locations. That model contrasts with plans from distributor Brightpoint Inc., which is looking to sell phones and services from several carriers under the brand name Fono Wireless.
Brightpoint, which opened its first store late last year in Indiana, intends to license the brand to retailers who would own and operate each outlet. The company has plans to launch 30 stores by year’s end.
Both companies see opportunity in the rise of mobile virtual network operators and data services, but face stepped-up competition from carriers looking to create personal relationships with subscribers by building out their own brick-and-mortar stores. As phones evolve from voice instruments into mini-entertainment centers and work stations, though, both players hope consumers look to knowledgeable retailers with a variety of phones and services.
“I would say, at least in terms of our experience, we are getting people who come in with a high degree of curiosity about what’s possible,” Rosenthal said, “and they’re making selections based on that.”
