Urgent action is underway within Vodafone in an attempt to reverse the sharp sales decline of the Storm smartphone. According to reports, UK sales were thought to be around 20,000 per week following the launch of the Storm, but are said to have plummeted to 6,000 per week more recently.
The company is now working to reposition the Storm to make it more attractive to SMEs by combining it with a mobile broadband dongle. Retail staff are also being specially trained to provide potential customers with a better understanding of the device given that the Storm might be the first smartphone for many customers. Vodafone said returns on the Storm were in line with other smartphones, but attention was being given to ensuring customers had proper demonstrations before purchasing.
Verizon Wireless, Vodafone's US partner, reported this week it had sold one million RIM Storm devices since its recent launch. Meanwhile, AT&T announced last week it had activated nearly 2 million iPhone customers in Q4.
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