Is it difficult to comparison shop for smartphones? I read an article today ("Too Difficult to Comparison Shop for Smartphones") that claimed just that. The writer made a convincing argument and had a couple good points about shopping for smartphones in a retail store.
Retail stores like Best Buy are able to offer several phones from competing providers. However, they rarely display many of the available smartphones. In fact, even when they do display a phone, it is usually a fake plastic phone or "dummy" model. This can make it difficult to explore the features of a cell phone, especially a smartphone. Obviously it makes it difficult to compare different phones in real life. This also makes it difficult for salespeople to be well-trained and knowledgeable about the phones they are selling.
On the other hand, the stores owned by wireless carriers have real phones and helpful staff. So it is possible to learn to use a smartphone and talk to a helpful salesperson. Many customers prefer a website that offers a collection of daily cell phone specials. However, it is impossible to comparison shop among multiple carriers. The AT&T store is only going to have AT&T smartphones, and the Verizon Wireless store is only going to have Verizon smart phones, and so on.
I guess I'm a little but biased since I am writing for a site with the premise of comparison shopping for cell phones ONLINE. So I probably take for granted that shoppers can find all the information they need online. If you are very familiar with cell phones and comfortable with many features of smartphones, you can probably get information online ( specs, reviews) that will allow you to choose the best smartphone for your needs.
However, there are many consumers who would prefer to handle phones in person and make a decision based on "test driving" the devices. Among these consumers there may be an opportunity for a company to succeed where the Best Buys of the world fail to deliver.
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