With EE making huge strides in its retail operations, Retail Week spoke to managing director of commercial Sharon Meadows about taking the brand from a telecoms company to an experience-focused retailer
EE has been ramping up its retail strategy in the past two years, as it opened its flagship studio space in Westfield London in summer 2023, before embarking on a store rollout of new format experiential stores in 2024..
Since then, it has opened experience and experience local stores in Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff as well as an extended reality space in the flagship store.
Sharon Meadows tells Retail Week about how customers are reacting to the new, experiential stores, the products that are set to be popular this year and the role AI is playing across EE’s operations
What steps have you taken to let customers know EE is more than just telecoms?
“We’re having to make a lot of effort to explain to customers that EE is more than mobile. You can buy broadband, gaming, consumer electronics, insurance and security. We also made some changes to our retail strategy to put it front and centre with a really clear purpose for showcasing the best of everything EE has to offer.
“We also upgraded our digital experience. We relaunched our app and we’re still adding features and functionality to it, but we’re seeing more customers choosing to go to our app.This is probably the trend everywhere and we might be lagging behind a bit in telecoms but we’re just really committed to having that multichannel experience as part of the overall brand experience.”
How have the experience stores resonated with customers?
“We’ve seen EE customers who didn’t shop in retail now shopping more and more, and our footfall has grown massively. The new experience stores have unlocked that. Our flagship studio store is a one off but we might do a mini version somewhere else, maybe further north, but we haven’t decided yet. It’s a big showcase of retail, it’s immersive, it’s exciting and that’s really the purpose of that.
“Our smaller versions are packed with all the different products and services. They feel similar to the studio as they’re immersive, you can still game and still demo home security and get that feel of our flagship store. Our staff also go the extra mile for the community by holding events, helping some of the older customers understand technology or younger children understand how to use it safely. So retail is like a massive asset.
“We’re also building lots more of the experience local stores and giving them a good makeover and we recently created the extended reality space in our flagship. There was a lot of demand from customers for us to help them demystify some of these new technologies, as it can feel a little bit scary and a little bit intimidating.”
How does AI play a role in products and operations?
“It’s now in a lot of the flagship devices. The role that retail can play, which is quite hard for other channels, is helping customers see how a device with AI can help them in their everyday lives. We’ve spent a lot of time making sure our staff are really well informed and almost specialised in understanding what AI brings to customers.
“Where I think it’s really exciting is how we use it to enhance our customer experiences. We build it into our sales processes to give our staff support, almost like a co-pilot. When a customer calls, the co-pilot can prompt colleagues. For example, if I’ve been on an eight hour shift and I’m feeling a bit tired and that’s coming across in my tone, the AI agent can let me know I sound lethargic, or if a customer has been on hold a bit too long. It can prompt on behavioral things. It can remind staff to tell the customer that they can get a better deal if they bring their broadband to us. I think that’s fantastic because it means the experience as a customer and as a colleague is so much better.”
Which products do you think will be popular with EE customers this year?
“AI phones are a big thing. I was a little bit skeptical that AI wouldn’t be a reason to change your phone but it’s absolutely the case, that is. Devices are not changing enormously, there’s not a big transformative step every time they release a new one. It’s all about the software and the experience that becomes different.
“Gaming is obviously huge. We recognise that for gamers, the network experiences are kind of like the number one priority. So we’ve been able to bring that quality with an extended range of offerings that help you get a better gaming experience, such as a network boost to prioritise capacity to your gaming device. It’s a huge category for us, and I think we’re one of the biggest retailers of consoles now, which is quite amazing in such a short time.”
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