T-Mobile's Flagship Store is Full Steam Ahead

T-Mobile announced today that it will open its new flagship store in the UK early in order to coincide with the October 30th mega rollout of their T-Mobile G1. The retail world should mark the day as T-Mobile Thursday, and not because their newest feature-loaded mobile device is or isn’t as good as its hype. (We’ll give that concensus about a week to formulate.) T-Mobile Thursday, rather, should be the designation awarded to honor the company that dares to buck the most recessionary trends in a single day.

Recession trend bucker #1 is the number of G1 enthusiasts who are poised to make a purchase at a time when wallets are supposed to be hermetically sealed. 25,000 UK consumers and 1.5 million U.S. gadget lovers pre-registered their interest in obtaining the touchy, QWERTY, googly device long before its debut. If intangible “interest” translates into tangible transactions, the entire retail industry could be infused with pre-holiday cheer.

Trend bucker #2 is timing. Technology releases are often delayed and rarely ahead of schedule. The same can be said for store openings. We can only hope that neither is premature. The margin for disappointment a la Vista is pretty thin these days.

The most bold trend bucker, however, is the fact that the store is opening at all. In a year when a record number of retail outlets are taking on water faster than they can bail themselves out, it is paradoxical that this “flagship” store is moving full steam ahead. Actually, this is just the latest addition to a burgeoning fleet of flagship stores that are being strategically positioned around the globe. Like admirals positioning their armadas, retailers are making their brand presence known with big flashy openings of big flashy flagship stores.

What qualifies a store for a “flagship” label? It’s not like there’s rules or industry standards for the designation. It’s a relative label and one that’s applied pretty liberally. Generally if a store is the first one of its brand opened in a city or country, if it’s in a particularly prestigious location, if it has unique features, or if it’s larger than the average store in the chain, it gets labeled as a flagship. The most notable flagship feature of the new UK T-Mobile store is its “experience table,” which allows customers to try before they buy just about anything in the store.

Which brings us to one more T-Mobile trend bucker – a change in sales philosophy. According to retail director, Andrew Coull, this T-Mobile flagship store will focus more on the customer’s experience with the products and less on hard-sell tactics. At a time when no retail organization can afford to miss a sale, the lack of sales pressure is definitely sailing against a very strong wind.

Outwardly, retailiers are frowning at T-Mobile's potential success this week. If we're all competing for the same number of shrinkng retail dollars (or pounds), then the more T-Mobile gets, the fewer there will be for anybody else. Secretly inside, though, we're all rooting for T-Mobile Thursday. A stunning victory for one could send waves of hope splashing onto many. With so many retail organizations drifting or drowning in the sea of economic despair, any day we can find a legitimate reason to hope is a successful day indeed.