After a rocky launch, Verizon has managed to juice sales of Google’s Pixel 2 so that the device is selling more briskly than it initially did at launch, according to BayStreet Research. However, the firm reported that the Pixel 2 hasn’t sold as well in the fourth quarter when compared with the same period of sales for the original Pixel after it was launched.
“We have heard Google ‘pulled all the right levers’ to get the Pixel 2s better positioned with Verizon store reps,” BayStreet wrote in a recent report. The company carefully tracks sales of phones and other devices. “We believe this ranged from the aggressive discounts, improved marketing, sales rep sales contests and requirements for all sales reps and store managers to carry the devices. We view the increased traction as a considerable accomplishment and are interested to see how and if the momentum can continue going forward.”
Indeed, Verizon clearly sought to goose sales of the Pixel 2 during December. The carrier announced at the beginning of the month that it would take $300 off the price of the device for a limited time, if customers purchased the gadget with a device payment plan. The offer did not require customers to trade in an old phone to take advantage of the price.
Verizon coupled that offer with a $30 million marketing campaign focused on its “Google Pixel 2: 50 Percent Off” advertisement featuring company spokesman Thomas Middleditch.
Google announced the phone in October. It is a follow-up device to its first Pixel, which also was an exclusive for Verizon. “We’re really proud of how well the Pixel did for our first-generation smartphone in such a competitive space,” Google’s Rick Osterloh said when the company launched the device. “To be honest, it’s going to be tougher and tougher for people to develop new, exciting products each year, because that’s no longer the timetable for big leaps forward in hardware alone.”
Thus, Osterloh sought to highlight the device’s AI capabilities. For example, the Pixel 2 can automatically initiate a text to family members telling them that the user is on the way home from work.
Nonetheless, as BGR pointed out, Google’s Pixel 2 has been hampered by software glitches and other troubles that may have cut into its sales. As BayStreet noted, it believes sales of the Pixel 2 are “down slightly” when compared with the same-period sales of the original Pixel.