In the world of tech brands, Apple has proven that stores matter.
Sleek, minimalist, and often with breath-taking architecture, its stores are temples to the brand where shoppers can interract with all things Apple. They are also the world’s most profitable stores per sq ft.
However, Apple is not the only tech giant that is opening stunning stores to better connect with shoppers. Samsung is also placing big bets on physical space.
The retailer has a network of Experience stores and several partner stores around the UK, but is increasingly turning to experiential pop-ups.
Its latest temporary store, the Galaxy Unpacked Experience was opened at Westfield London earlier this month to tie in with the launch of its new S23 phone, and forms part of the tech giant’s strategy to bring its products to customers.
Marketing and omnichannel director Annika Bizon is clear: “Wherever the consumer is, Samsung will be.” In fact, she’s so wedded to this strategy, she repeats the phrase several times throughout our chat.
The temporary concept space in Westfield allows shoppers to explore different features of Samsung’s Galaxy series, including testing the camera in a bespoke photo booth and for the first time, testing Galaxy’s Epic Gaming displays.
However, creating a new retail location is not the easy task it once was.
“Everyone’s had to get sharper around how you engage in the retail space,” Bizon says, as she explains that Samsung has decided to make its retail locations more interactive.
“We’re bringing a social element into a retail space and for me, that’s where you start to bring the magic together by joining the offline and online experiences,” she says.
Pop-ups and experiences
Bizon is in charge of rethinking Samsung’s retail presence.
“There isn’t a one-size-fits-all in retail,” says Bizon. “Consumers are so dynamic that our job is to make sure we’re stepping up to the plate.”
She has found success in pop-up stores and mobile display units. This is in stark contrast to rival Apple, which has mastered the art of the ultimate experience in its permanent stores which evolve with the latest product release.
Samsung’s strategy comes off the back of a successful activation in August last year, which included 10 immersive experiential zones, to celebrate the release of the new Galaxy Flip4.
“The feedback we got and the amount of social interaction we received, in terms of love for the brand, was incredibly powerful,” says Bizon.
The secret to maximising such pop-up experiences comes down to paying attention to “the smallest things”, she explains.
This includes putting all the colours available for a product on display and making sure the security solution allows someone to pick up the weight of the phone.
“That’s the level of detail we’re going into,” she says.
Bizon is less concerned on where consumers are interacting with Samsung and instead focuses her efforts on the how.
“The way we look at it is that it doesn’t matter where on that purchase journey the customer is or where they decide to purchase, what we care about is that they’re interacting with our products in a number of different ways,” she says.
However, consistency is key and Bizon is in charge of ensuring the same narrative spreads across the tech giant’s ecommerce channel, concept pop-ups, mobile experiences, shops and partner stores.
“It doesn’t matter which store you go into; you’re hearing the same messaging and narrative around what the key features of the product are.”
Targeting Gen Z
Samsung’s temporary and agile approach to retail is a key component to its strategy which focuses heavily on the Gen Z market.
However, Bizon explains “building credibility in the space is hard work”.
Samsung may be one of the most popular brands in the UK but rival Apple has dominated the Gen Z market for the last few years, and encouraging a generation to switch phones is a challenge in itself.
Bizon is confident that the retailer’s mobile display units touring university towns and its influencer programme is the key to building the relationship with the young generation.
“Our ambassador and influencer programmes are 100% around building out conversations with Gen Z as we know there are mini communities and those communities you need to talk to through, not the Samsung voice but, another voice.”
The future Samsung store
Samsung might be putting its efforts into temporary spaces but the tech retailer also has a strong network of partner stores and its own Experience stores around the UK including its flagship in Kings Cross.
The Samsung KX store, located in the Coal Drops Yard, arguably created the blueprint for tech flagship stores when it opened in 2019.
The 20,000 sq ft space can easily be described as a haven for Samsung lovers, showcasing the retailer’s vast product range as well as being a shared workspace for the public and key event space for the tech giant that plays host to a number of industry events.
In 2022, Apple set out to rival the KX store with its Brompton Road flagship. In possibly the tech giant’s best store to date, the shop features towering ficus trees and designated Pick Up and Fitness+ areas exclusive to the Knightsbridge location.
Off the back of Samsung KX’s success, can we expect to see more permanent stores on the horizon?
“Kings Cross is a concept store and is about showcasing everything in a beautiful way,” says Bizon.
However, she says replicating the format of the store is not currently in the tech giant’s future.
Instead, it is prioritising opening “different types of stores and pop-up experiences” over traditional brick-and-mortar stores.
Bizon says: “If I’m honest, I can’t tell you what the future looks like because consumers are changing and we’re figuring out what’s working right now to [decide] where do we go next?”
For the time being, Samsung is banking on its pop-ups to take a bite out of Apple’s sales.
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