Gateway shutters its online web store
Ahh, the good old days when getting a cheap computer, especially notebook, was as simple as going to the Gateway web site and configuring your own. The South Dakota-based retailer started as a web-only retailer but now that is all going to end. Gateway announced today that it is shutting down its online retail operation so your only way to get a Gateway computer going forward is through retail outlets like Best Buy.
Gateway, a wholly owned subsidiary of Acer Inc.,today announced a shift in its distribution model to focus exclusivelyon retailers, e-tailers and channel partners. This change willdramatically simplify Gateway’s business model and deliver significantcost savings, ultimately resulting in an improved value proposition forconsumers.
"We believe that our retail and e-tail partnersoffer consumers the best, easiest and most effective way to purchaseGateway products," said Mark Hill, Acer Group U.S. General Manager."Customers can rest assured that they will continue to get theaward-winning products and outstanding technical support they’ve cometo expect from Gateway for the last 23 years. Moving forward, we arepleased to be able to offer Gateway products through thousands ofretail storefronts and major online and telephone-based channelpartners both in the United States and abroad."
Gone are the days of configuring your own Gateway and waiting for the cow-spotted box to arrive via the deliveryman. Wow, what a change.
(via TechBlog)
Wow, last time I purchased something from them was in 1996. Gateway sure has had it’s ups and downs, I remember when they opened up all those retail stores that only let you place an order, you couldn’t buy anything directly, now they are the complete opposite!
I’m not sure that I’d say they started as a “web-only” retailer. I bought a computer from Gateway around 1992 or so, when the web was only a couple years old and not in use by much of anyone outside of academic and scientific circles. It certainly wasn’t feasible to run a business strictly via the web back then.
I think a much more accurate way to refer to Gateway’s origins would be to say they were a mail-order only business. Dell also had pretty much the same business model at their start.
I’m surprised that they’re MOOving away from the web. Guess they plan to try retail sales only and let the cow chips fall where they may.
They haven’t been allowing much customization of their computers for quite some time now.
Their laptops in particular have been effectively un-customizable for many years now and they only features you could change were accessories and colors.
This is completely predictable IMHO.