Google Moving Away From Online Android Sales

Google’s online Android/Nexus One sales page will be getting a make over.  Gone will be the direct to consumer cell phone sales page which currently is the only way to purchase a Nexus One cell phone.  It will be replaced with some general information about available Android phones around the world.  Don’t fret too much though, the Nexus One will move into the retail market instead, which I’m actually happy to see.  I think the biggest obstacle for the online sales technique was the lack of hands-on experience with the phone for the consumer prior to purchasing a $500+ phone.  Google admits it was a niche market and never really grew past that.  It was a good idea Google, but I think it was poorly executed.

While the global adoption of the Android platform has exceeded our expectations, the web store has not. It’s remained a niche channel for early adopters, but it’s clear that many customers like a hands-on experience before buying a phone, and they also want a wide range of service plans to chose from.

So today we’re announcing the following changes:

More retail availability. As we make Nexus One available in more countries we’ll follow the same model we’ve adopted in Europe, where we’re working with partners to offer Nexus One to consumers through existing retail channels. We’ll shift to a similar model globally.

From retail to viewing. Once we have increased the availability of Nexus One devices in stores, we’ll stop selling handsets via the web store, and will instead use it as an online store window to showcase a variety of Android phones available globally.

Google Blog