Asda has been experimenting with its DVD and Blu-ray displays, at a store in Leeds.
Supermarkets often end up shouldering some of the blame for the decline in DVD and Blu-ray sales, having contributing in part to the struggles that specialist retailers have faced over the past decade. Yet at a point where more people are turning to streaming movies, one Asda store in Leeds has been trying something a little different.
Over the summer, the firm’s Morley store has been trying to attract more shoppers to its DVD and Blu-ray aisle, and get away from the perception of the stack ‘em high, sell ‘em cheap approach.
I’ve been alerted to this by The Raygun newsletter – it’s worth digging into its archives here – and it’s also run a report on the Morley store that’s worth reading. It notes the changes that the store made in this trial, including reducing a slight reduction in the number of titles it carries but making more of them (with a lowering in the amount of bargain basement titles to achieve that), adding category management, lowering the physical shelves and making sure that Blu-ray is central.
The trial has been a success so far, too, with the plan now to roll the changes out to ten further stores. “We had our highest market share for two or three years”, Asda’s Andrew Thompson told The Raygun. “We’re having a bit of a go. We’re in the market for the foreseeable future, there’s a future in physical, even if it is smaller”.
Furthermore, it seems that several in the industry have been visiting the Morley store to see just what it’s been successful, with a view to more physical media initiatives ahead.
Read more about it here.
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