Here’s a look at Best Buy’s new Chromebook Plus display tables

Now that Chromebook Plus is fully rolled out and devices are available across retailers, we’re beginning to see the marketing side of things take shape in Best Buy stores already embracing the new Chromebook Plus terminology. While we won’t see this same sort of push from the other retailers currently offering single Chromebook Plus devices (Target, Costco, and Lenovo’s site), having a clear and concise presence in Best Buy stores is arguably the most important thing for the Chromebook Plus movement for now.

Clear, in-store marketing for Chromebook Plus

Not only does Best Buy have straightforward Chromebook Plus marketing on their site, there are some locations with massive window decals on the front of the actual, physical locations and brand new table layouts that fully showcase Chromebook Plus for potential customers in the stores. Google sent over a few photos of these marketing designs in action, and you can check them out below.

I’ll be in the nearest metro area to us next week (Louisville, KY) and plan on stopping at a few of those larger Best Buy stores while I’m up there to see how the Chromebook Plus efforts are going. Our local Best Buy is a small store and the Chromebook section is quite small, so I’ve yet to venture over and check it out. I’ll do that soon as well and get photos from them all to follow up after this in the next few weeks.

Why it matters

We have a lot of content around Chromebook Plus already, and it’s all really just beginning. The reason? We want people to fully understand not just why Google is making this move, but why it could be a net positive for everyone over time. The transition will be clunky for a little bit, but after we get the non-branded Chromebook Plus devices off shelves, there will be some very clear opportunities for solid marketing to help consumers understand the difference in Chromebook and Chromebook Plus.

And having Best Buy on board in such a forward-facing way should really help move the needle in consumer adoption of Chromebook Plus. Even if it is simply to get people interested and asking what it is, the bold and in-your-face advertising at a store that has become the brick-and-mortar go-to spot for those looking to make tech purchases will have a lasting impact.

Hopefully, Google has far more planned for marketing around Chromebook Plus, but I like the early moves. I certainly hope Best Buy employees are being trained on this stuff as well since many uniformed purchasers rely on employee assistance in real time as they make purchase decisions. If Google and the ChromeOS team are working closely with Best Buy to get the message out and incentivizing the staff to educate consumers about Chromebook Plus, it could make a big splash in the early days of this new movement.