Customer input helps Best Buy with new CE line

MINNEAPOLIS Best Buy has utilized customer feedback to develop a new line of consumer electronic products under its Blue Label series. The Blue Label series is a result of collaboration between Best Buy and technology companies in which Best Buy gathers insights from customers and works with manufacturers to design products that address those needs.

The first products to come out of the Blue Label process are laptops, one each from HP and Toshiba. Best Buy talked to its customers about their “ideal laptop” and learned that consumers wished for longer battery life, a thin and lightweight design, an illuminated keyboard, more optimal screen size and superior warranty support.

In response, Best Buy worked with HP and Toshiba to create exclusive laptops that are less than 1.5 inches thick, weigh less than 5 pounds, feature an exclusive exterior design, a backlit keyboard and come with a two-year warranty at no extra charge. In addition, the laptops feature 30 days of support from Geek Squad, Best Buy’s team of Agents and Installers who assist with set-up and troubleshooting of Best Buy-purchased products.

“As the leading consumer electronics retailer, Best Buy has millions of interactions with consumers each year. We listened to our customers and learned that they wanted more from the feature set on available laptops so we went directly to manufacturers to fix that,” said Wendy Fritz, senior vp of computing for Best Buy. “Through the Blue Label process, we’re addressing customer needs in a way that no retailer has done before and we’re giving manufacturers valuable insight to make products for our customers.”

The HP and Toshiba laptops will be available exclusively through Best Buy retail stores nationwide beginning Oct. 5; preorders will be available on BestBuy.com beginning September 28. More information about the process behind Blue Label can be found at www.bestbuy.com/bluelabel.