This Is A Samsung Store That Doesn’t Sell Anything

Why would anyone, especially in this economy, ever want to open a shop that literally sells nothing? Samsung decided to open one in New York, and the logic behind it is relatively sound.

Nestled inside amongst quaint Greenwich Village streets in New York City and bordered on either side by trendy boutiques is the concept Experience Store from Samsung.




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It takes up a sizeable footprint in an expensive neighbourhood, especially considering it costs a bucketload to run compared to the revenue it brings in, which is zero dollars.

Customers…actually wait. Can you call them customers when they aren’t there to buy? Patrons then.

Patrons enter the store and are greeted by a glamorous concierge desk, and are instructed to visit every station of the experience centre and gain points by having weird use cases demonstrated to them.

Some users will be compelled by the use of the Galaxy Note 3 to create a 3D printed charm you can take home with you.

Others will enjoy creating a graphical coffee order with one of the Tab 4 tablets and receiving a delicious java for their efforts.

Elsewhere, users are shown how Samsung products can benefit kids, business and given tips and tricks on how to use their products better.

It’s all part of Samsung’s bid to move into the trendy retail market currently occupied by its main rival Apple, and to a lesser extent, Microsoft.

Online shopping can only go so far, and when you’re looking to make an investment in a big ticket item, Samsung knows that you can’t just shove a spec list under their nose and expect a reasonable consumer to make a decision.

On the other side of that sales coin, however, it appears that Samsung is building this concept to test whether people want to buy more than just a product: it’s testing to see if people want to buy an ecosystem.

It’s looking to test whether customers can see a product like a phone, tablet or phablet in their lives for good, both at work and at play.

Whether it works remains to be seen: because the experience store doesn’t sell anything, it’s hard to measure success.

Would a fancy showroom experience sway you into buying a product? Tell us in the comments!

Luke Hopewell travelled to New York as a guest of Samsung Australia.


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