Amid the news that the iPhone helped propel Apple to one of the most profitable quarters of any company in corporate history, and that Android now controls over half of the global smartphone market, the scale of the challenge for Microsoft in taking on these mighty beasts in the mobile space becomes fairly clear. Having a good product isn’t necessarily good enough, if consumers don’t even notice you among the excitement and buzz surrounding your competitors.
Just over a month ago, we reported on Microsoft’s plans to stimulate sales of Windows Phones by offering financial incentives to the people that actually sell the phones. Between $10 and $15 will be paid to US retail workers for each Windows Phone that they sell, and it’s hoped that this will help to end the problem of sales staff pivoting customer interest away from Windows Phones towards the iPhone and Android handsets.
An unnamed, but “reliable”, source has now revealed to WMPoweruser that Microsoft is taking its first steps toward implementing similar schemes in Europe. The source claimed that each European nation will be divided into regions, with four Xbox 360 consoles being awarded to the store in each region that shifts the greatest number of Windows Phones.
It’s debatable whether or not this kind of sales ‘contest’ will truly motivate salespersons in the same way that a clear-cut, guaranteed cash bonus would, but it’s possible that this is simply one component of a broader range of incentives for retail staff.
It’s also claimed that Microsoft will offer a discount of €100 EUR ($131 USD / £83 GBP) on its Office software suites, to any business purchasing a Windows Phone handset.
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