CompUSA: Don't Count Us Out
In addition to its Web site, the company now has 29 brick-and-mortar stores, considerably less than the 126 stores it operated in better times. The stores are now located mainly in Florida. In addition, there are some outlets in Illinois, North Carolina, Texas and one in Puerto Rico.
Instead of moving forward with plans to liquidate, the struggling retailer was saved in January 2008 when retail and business-to-business provider Systemax acquired CompUSA in a deal said to be worth approximately $31 million. Under terms of the deal, Port Washington, N.Y.-based Systemax bought 16 CompUSA stores, the brand name and its e-commerce sites. Systemax said part of its strategy behind the purchase was to complement its TigerDirect e-commerce and retail stores.
Feedback from customers on the Web has been positive, with many shoppers saying the stores are more organized. But the main reaction is to product discounts, such as a Lenovo notebook with full features for $399.99, about $100 less than some competitors.
Another new feature is Retail 2.0, which was launched in December at CompUSA's concept store in Miami. The feature provides online information to research products, owner's manuals, reviews, product tutorials, pictures and installation details.
In addition, CompUSA creates free personalized Web sites for corporate clients, called an eAccount Portal, that offer special online pricing, tracks purchases and streamlines the ordering process.
Another feature designed to appeal to corporations is a dedicated account manager who serves as a primary contact for technical and product issues.
CompUSA is also providing corporate clients with custom pricing. When companies commit to a specific purchase volume, they receive automatic discounts right from their CompUSA portal site. The more a company buys, the deeper discount. Based on purchase volume, customers can qualify for Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze discount levels.