Cingular Experience

Cingular Wireless (Atlanta) is continuing its new store design rollout with a location in Madison, Wis. The design, which features a “live bar” for customers to sample wireless products, as well as a cafŽ-style service area, will be used in all of Cingular's retail outlets. Ninety percent of the company's 7500 retail stores will be retrofitted with elements of the format by year's end.

The stores'hands-on approach allows customers to access the Internet and download ring-tones to their phones, try out the wireless Internet from mobile phones or send text messages to another phone. The Live Bar invites customers to test-drive handsets, accessories and other features.

“How do you know whether you'll like the phone or wireless service if you don't at least try it out?” says Eric Shuppert, senior field marketing manager for Cingular in Illinois and Wisconsin. “From the beginning, Cingular has promised its customers that we would make doing business with us simple.”

BellSouth and SBC Communications Inc. combined to form Cingular Wireless. The company serves more than 21 million mobile phone and wireless data customers in 38 states. The joint venture is 60 percent owned by SBC and 40 percent by BellSouth. For more information on the Cingular rollout, see “Cingular Sensation” in the Nov. 2001 issue of VM+SD magazine, p. 41.