HP, Circuit City do custom sales
Historically reliant upon retailers as their main distribution channel, PC makers are trying to appear more "direct."
Historically reliant upon retailers as their main distribution channel, PC makers are increasingly tweaking their retail offerings to appear more "direct" amid the growing market presence of Dell and Gateway. Direct sales are intended to aid manufacturers in managing their inventory.
Compaq launched a similar program, "Built for You," earlier this summer. As in the HP program, Compaq allows customers to choose from different processor speeds, hard disk drive sizes, memory configurations, and peripherals at kiosks in Best Buy stores nationwide.
IBM's consumer PC group is also considering a similar program, slated for this fall.