Dell Closing Kiosks, Focusing on Retail

Dell XPS M1330 Customers will no longer be able to check out such Dell products as the Dell XPS M1330, Dell’s 13.3″ consumer laptop (around 4 pounds, Intel Core 2 Duo) as well as their other consumer-oriented products, in malls, shopping centers, and airports across the US.

Computerworld reports that Dell is going to be closing the kiosks in the US (in fact the last one is going to be closing before the end of next week) and focusing on retail instead. This affects (or rather affected) around 140 retail kiosks.

Instead, they will be focusing on online sales as well as retail outlets like Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Staples, and Guitar Center. Analysts say the move is a good one, in line with Dell competitors such as HP: “HP’s channel strategy is one of the reasons they have beat Dell in the market. This is particularly true with laptops, which are a fast-growing segment of the market. People want to see, feel and try out a laptop before buying it, and you can’t do that online, and you might not have access to or know where to find a Dell kiosk.”