Around 3 years ago, I walked into the AT&T store, looking to replace my Blackberry.
The first thing they did is completely dismiss Blackberry....yes, they had one on display, but made it clear that I didn’t want it.
Ok.
Then the sales pitch went something like this: Since you’re using a Blackberry, a Smartphone may be too much for you to handle, so why don’t you try out this Windows phone, which is easier for you to ‘understand’.
I went with Samsung.
But the point is, the AT&T store was portraying the Windows phone as a lesser device, to be used by the less tech savvy. I immediately didn’t want it...and I’m not surprised it hasn’t done well.
There are two angles for selling high tech to the average person who is not tech-savvy:
Microsoft (and some others) chose the second path, which is insulting and false, because phone technology is not, in fact, well-suited for the illiterate. Such lies foster user frustration, exasperation, and ultimately a lost customer.
That’s funny, because I ran into a woman who was returning a new Windows phone to the store last week because it was “too complicated”. She was switching back to Android.
Less than 3% MARKET adoption. The ATT sellers were likely reflecting that.
Bought a Windows phone several years back. Bit mistake. Hated it until it bounced down a flight of concrete stairs.
I’m surprised the salesperson didn’t show you the iPhone first. That is the standard pitch for customers they think aren’t tech-savvy. You probably said something about using windows on a computer during the conversation and that steered the salesperson to showing you the windows phone.
That's what an Apple is for. In fact, Apple has built their entire sales strategy on the concept of "tech for people who don't understand tech".