Xobni Goes Back In Time With Boxed Software

I would be amazed if this works out well, but I wish them the best.<p>My guess is that customers may <i>say</i> they are more likely to purchase software online if they see it offline first, but very few actually <i>do</i> that. "Sure, that sounds like reasonable behavior, and I'm a reasonable person." You'll also get people to say things in surveys like "Yeah, I read privacy policies before signing up to websites". A full 78% of the population told the BBB they actively read those things, and 26% said they read every word. Those results should provoke <i>gales of laughter</i> from anyone here who actually checks their stats.<p>While the type of person who shops for software offline might pay more for it relative to an early adopting twenty-something who would prefer to pirate it anyhow, they do not pay so much more that it covers the retail markup.<p>Plus, selling software offline robs you of all the numerous ways you can play the retail game yourself, such as offering discounts, seasonal promotions, upsells. Not to mention opportunities to use analytics / email / etc etc.

I think it's smart.<p>If your product is a compliment to another then sharing a point of sale is your earliest and best opportunity to make a sale. The type of people buying software at these stores, as opposed to Amazon/newegg etc, are generally the type least likely to discover/try/buy software such as Xobni online.<p>Also, Xobni Plus is a subscription product, so even if they make less on boxed sales it can lead to additional revenue in the future.

Even better if they can get the customer service people suggesting it to people who are buying office, like how they always try to sell hdmi cables with tv's.

Now <i>that's</i> thinking outside the ... oh, wait.