This post is written by b8ta CEO Vibhu Norby.
The holidays are the most exciting time of year for technology shoppers, but for many of the consumer electronics companies that we work with, it’s the most stressful. Sales performance in Q4 can often make or break a company, especially those in their infancy. Inventory allocations and marketing plans are done, and the best most companies can do is sit back and wait for their retail partners to play the season through.
With b8ta, it’s different. When companies launch products with us, every day of the 38 days between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve is a new day to learn and improve through the tools we’ve built. We will exchange hundreds of messages a day with brands during this period, and see thousands of marketing, training, and pricing changes as companies calibrate their offering.
Our goal is to provide hardware companies the highest quality environment for their potential customers to learn about and try their products, no matter where the customer ends up transacting.
Starting this Friday, November 10 through next Friday, November 17, I’m visiting every one of our eight flagship stores to spend a day working on the floor alongside our b8ta testers. I’ll write a post each day about my experience at that store and what I learned about the people, products, and customers.
For the trip, I’m also packing a number of products available at b8ta. Here is my packing list with links to learn more and buy:
Aerial by Genius Pack is my carry-on.
Lifepack is my favorite backpack.
AYO is a wearable that helps me beat jetlag.
Snooz has been helping me fall asleep quickly for months.
Advanced Trackable Powerpack keeps everything charged.
Neosmart pen captures my daily notes for the blog.
Air by crazybaby helps me tune everything out on the plane.
Giroptic IO captures moments for sharing.
Biostrap tracks my health.
Quip keeps me away from the dentist.
I would love to meet you and show you some of my favorite products, give gift recommendations, or just talk shop about retail or hardware. Here’s my eight-day schedule:
New York City — Friday, November 10, 3–6 p.m.
Macy’s Herald Square, 151 West 34th Street, New York, NY, 10001
Corte Madera — Saturday, November 11, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
The Village at Corte Madera, 1530 Redwood Highway, Corte Madera, CA 94925
Seattle — Sunday, November 12, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
University Village, 2616 NE 46th Street, Seattle, WA 98105
Santa Monica — Monday, November 13, 10 a.m.–9 p.m.
Santa Monica Place, 395 Santa Monica Place, Level Two, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Houston — Tuesday, November 14, 10 a.m.–9 p.m.
The Galleria, 5115 Westheimer Road, Level 2 (near Saks Fifth Avenue), Houston, TX 77056
Austin — Wednesday, November 15, 10 a.m.–8 p.m.
The Domain Northside, 11701 Domain Boulevard, Suite 174, Austin, TX 78758
San Francisco — Thursday, November 16, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
Hayes Valley, 590 Hayes Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
Palo Alto — Friday, November 17, 11 a.m.–8 p.m.
University Avenue, 516 Bryant Street, Palo Alto, CA 94301
Hope to see you there!
Vibhu
CEO, b8ta
