PC Pro is reporting that Dell has decided that Apple’s got it right, and is abandoning their well known internet and telesales only approach in favour of opening two retail stores, one in Dallas in Texas and another in New York. They are hoping to use the stores to build their consumer sales business, by allowing sceptical consumers the chance to try before they buy.

They will not, however, be using their new shops to sell anything. Apparently they are not prepared to abandon their ‘build to order’ approach to computer sales. In an interview with the Austin-American Statesman, Jim Skelding, the director of the pilot scheme, said ‘It’s a physical extension of the direct model, so customers can touch and feel the products’.

This approach potentially makes a lot of sense. Dell’s current model works supremely efficiently, helping them to become the biggest computer manufacturer in the world. However, it is a model potentially more suited to business, as the small business buyer is far more likely to know exactly what he or she needs and is less concerned with the way the machine looks or feels, reducing the need for hands-on experience and in-person advice. (I say small business because Dell has a completely different approach with large scale corporations, offering consultancy and rental schemes). The individual consumer is likely to know less, and therefore will appreciate these new stores. It also allows Dell to reach out to first time computer users, who are out of reach of its powerful internet marketing campaigns. Although it’s only a pilot scheme, I suspect it will work, and we’ll be seeing lots more stores in the mid-term. I just wonder whether they will stick with their ‘no sales’ approach, and start stocking common configurations. And will they stock Alienware? We’ll just have to wait and see.