Demand for the Google Chromecast has been ‘unprecedented’ in the UK, with one store reportedly selling a device every 4.5 seconds on launch day.
Dixons Retail PLC, owners of the Currys PCWorld chain who are stocking the media streaming dongle at retail in blighty, shared word of their exclusive first-day sales to followers of their Google+ page, writing:
“In the UK …on opening day we were selling one [Chromecast] every 4.5 seconds!”
Mark Hosgood, Category Manager at Currys & PC World told the British tabloid The Daily Star that it has been “one of the most successful launch days, both online and in-store, in recent years,” likening demand for the device in their stores as rivalling that which greets Apple’s iPad.
Unsurprising
Not that stories of strong sales will surprise those following this story. The Chromecast had already proven to be a bonafide success in America following its launch there last year.
One suspects that the price:performance ratio has had a lot to do with its immediate success. Unlike the pricey Nexus Q, to which it is the conceptual successor, Google has wisely targeted the dongle at the impulse-friendly price point of £30/$35. At this low price buyers will be less hesitant in purchasing as, if it ends up in a drawer unused, it didn’t cost the earth.
The UK is not alone in welcoming the new gadget with open arms. Norwegian retailer Elkjøp say they had to order a second batch of 40,000 devices barely a couple of days after launch as demand was so high.
Google won’t be drawn in to providing specific sales figures for the device, merely stating that ‘millions’ have shipped since launch. But what these retailer experiences help to give us is a qualified peek at the wider reception to the quirky peripheral — and so far, so good!
- Source: Dixons Plc, Via Android Central