The company has always offered high prices, but in some categories the products did not always live up to the brand’s prestige: attempts to introduce noise-cancelling headphones in 2010 were bulky, sounded mediocre and had impoverished battery life; it also sold a line of overpriced Bluetooth speakers with screens that no one needed.
Then, when physical storefronts didn’t produce the billboard-like effect that Bose wanted, the brand, just before Snyder’s addition, decided to make a radical shift – a word that can so often be replaced by “panic” – towards a strategy focused on online sales and strengthening exposure in existing stores such as Best Buy in the United States.
This earth-shattering change meant that every Bose store in the US, Europe, Australia and Japan was closed, resulting in: 119 stores were closed and hundreds of layoffs around the world. So far, under Snyder’s leadership, the company says this shift toward online and brick-and-mortar retailing has worked, but it could have gone the other way.
Brands like Nike that moved away from branded retail stores saw sales decline, but the key difference is Bose’s decision to utilize retail partners. By beefing up its exposure in places like Best Buy and other stores, and relying on sales on Amazon and other online stores outside of its own website, Bose has managed to maintain a broad reach while keeping retail overhead costs in-house. According to Snyder, this lean approach has been successful in helping Bose turn its fortunes around, especially when combined with excellent fresh products.
Exclusive audio
As a technology company focused entirely on audio products, Snyder says Bose’s secret is research. Engineers are constantly looking for innovations in materials, acoustics, design, manufacturing and more. When asked about the latest innovations in semiconductor transducer technology, for example, she doesn’t shy away from incredible market research.
“What’s interesting about Bose is that we’ve been an audio company for 60 years,” Synder says. “We know we will operate in competitive markets. We have always operated in competitive markets, whether it is headphones, at home or in the car. What sets us apart is that we all focus on sound. You can be sure that we experiment with everything. When we believe something is ready, we pass it on. We are always looking for technology that can change the game.”
This is especially true when it comes to noise reduction, which the brand pioneered for aviators – a market that Bose says Bose proudly continues to dominate – rather than people in the main cabin of an aircraft.
Using professionals
By researching what pilots needed to work safely and comfortably in the cockpit, and constantly asking them for improvements and ideas, Bose was able to develop and provide the best noise reduction algorithms WIRED has ever tested. This makes sense, considering the latest generation of Bose Quietcomfort on-ear and in-ear headphones offer true professional aviation technology.
Snyder says the brand uses professionals or semi-professionals for sound equipment for musicians working in compact venues, not only to improve its products but also to sell them to people interested in higher-end sound. “He’s a professional musician. They have great ears. They know what great sound sounds like. These products create a sort of halo.”