Interesting experience with NEX in Australian shop

I went to look at a NEX in a leading shop in Adelaide. It was tucked away on an out of the way shelf where it would not have been noticed if you weren't looking for it. No signs or promotion of any sort. I asked to look at it. Loved the look , general feel and first impressions of build and the viewing screen. And that was as far as I could evaluate it. The sales person had no interest in it at all and seemed to have very little knowledge of it. When a couple of other customers in the store saw it, it caught their attention and they wanted to look at it and discuss it. I obliged. They had never heard of it. Salesperson still had no interest.

Without getting into any discussion here about the positives and minusses of NEX, the abilty of that body design to grab attention was certainly impressive. I don't know what materials/training Sony is giving re the NEX in Oz, or whether the shop/assistant I saw were atypical, but the marketing here (as yet perhaps?) seems to be missing the opportunity to get a real sales winner.
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Mike Fewster
Adelaide Australia

Hi Mike,

It is really a shame the way some 'shops' are treating Sony cameras.

Here in Melbourne, I went to Ted's at Southland and they have the NEX-5 next to an Alpha 330. With the size of the NEX, it is like one of those shop ornaments. I asked the guy and he told me they just got it today. Maybe that's the reason.

Different experience on Friday night, was out in the city and Michael's camera house has a HUGE ALPHA SYMBOL on their window front. All you see are NEX's (3/5) camera/lens when you look in the display.

Could be different store/state, different strategy by Sony?

Well there is at least one store in melbourne, that has given 1 complete shop window to the NEX, Australia is to small a market for Sony to worry about

but I did see a lot of bill boards for the A230,330,380 when it was released, but zero advertising for the A450/500/550 and I'm told by salestaff in most of the larger camera stores in Melbourne, That Canon and Nikon will leave cameras for Staff to "play" with for a few weeks at zero cost to the store but Sony never do it. (so I'm told)

Here in New Zealand, the NEX is due to land tomorrow in stores. Sony have been typically slow to update their website and we see pretty much zero advertising.

The bigger camera stores already had prices and models listed, at least one with about $100 off the NEX5 dual kit. A few of them at least think they'll be big sellers.

I hope to have a play around with one later this week at a Sony Style (which tend to stock after their retailers here).

I think that one of the problems is that the camera industry as a whole don't seem to send Reps around to dealers anymore to train staff on the key selling points of new cameras or to teach them how to handle the cameras.

It's only a generalisation but the average camera salesman seems to be less informed than any average magazine reader or Internet user & I often over-hear bad advice being given to prospective buyers.

PS - what price point is the NEX selling at in Australia ?
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Keith-C

Keith, I actuall didn't pay precise attention to the price as I am not thin king of getting one until I see more of the model range. I believe I remember the salesman say around $1100 (Australian dollars).

Re. Camera salespersons. In the same store a couple of weeks ago (different salesperson) I was looking at a Lumix pocket camera for my wife. While there, the customer next to me was comparing features on a Sony350 and a Canon. Info given on sony was quite incorrect. I didn't know the Canon, but did know enough about the Sony to make some observations on that camera. Customer bought the Sony.
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Mike Fewster
Adelaide Australia

Suggesting DSLRs other than canon or nikon is quite risky for camera sales people. If you recommend sony/olympus/pentax models and they shop around the competing stores will usually tell the customer the brand you have suggested is too small, not used by professionals and has no lenses etc.

It's much easier to make the customer doubt a lesser known product than it is to convince them to buy it.

I still haven't seen one down here yet.
Renato

I was at Bondi Junction in Sydney a couple of weeks ago and there was a huge launch for the Sony NEX cameras. They had the big alpha symbol, a red carpet, a dj and I even saw Alex Perry there (Aussie fashion designer) there. I never expected to see something like that in Australia but it received a lot of attention and the staff actually knew what they were talking about compared to other stores and this wasn't even a specialized camera store. I wish I took a photo to show how many people were there but I think that was great marketing by Sony to have that sought of a launch in a high populated area.

The price there for the NEX camera from memory was $999 for the NEX 5 twins lens kit.

Certainly very different to the Adelaide experience. I forgot to add to my note on price, the price of about $1100 (Australian$) was for the NEX5 and the twin lens kit.
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Mike Fewster
Adelaide Australia

Well it is said that if you are not living in Bondi you are camping. Obviously Sony think that the Bondi crowd are Nex buyers and that dwellers in the city of churches are not. I live a long way from any major city and I don't think that Sony even knows where it is.
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eric

I had the opposite experience yesterday, in Adelaide also.

Went to check out the olympus EP to use as a good carry around camera and nearly walked out with an NEX5.

The salesperson didn't know a lot about it and the battery was flat so I couldn't try it, but the store was pushing it pretty hard - and the price was good at $A1,100 for the twin lens kit.

I'm going back later in the week to give it a test.

Cheers,

Jeff

most retail sales people hate their job. there are a select few who really know about the products they sell and want to share that knowledge.