This was one of our goals with Samsung 837<\/a>, our flagship consumer technology space, and it\u2019s been said<\/a> we\u2019ve done exactly that in just one year. To many, 837 represents a reinvention of the consumer brand experience that invites visitors to play, discover and engage with products. Without the pressure to purchase as in typical retail situations, our focus is on interaction rather than transaction.<\/p>\n Samsung 837 in New York City, New York.<\/p><\/div>\n While creating a flagship store without retail might sound crazy, the space has allowed us to create a two-way conversation with our visitors. We moved from speaking at <\/em>them about tech specs and product features to engaging with<\/em> them. Through immersive experiences that place our products at the heart of passions like cooking, film, art and music, 837 is a true technology playground.We\u2019re allowing our visitors to do the number one thing they say they like to do in brick-and-mortar stores \u2013 see, touch, and feel (i.e. try it before you buy it) without the pressure to purchase. We have in-store guides, not sales associates, who help visitors on their journey through the space and explain how our connected devices can power their creativity, ease their everyday life (look inside your fridge while at the grocery store\u2026check!) and enhance the things they care most about.<\/p>\n Some brands are hesitant to partner for fear of losing share of voice. This mindset is both misguided and myopic. Brands should approach partnerships as opportunities to achieve what neither one of them could do alone. Partnerships allow consumers to experience your brand in a way that they couldn\u2019t ever before. At Samsung, we refer to this mindset as \u201cSamsung + Partners = Awesome\u201d or \u201c1+1 = 3.\u201d<\/p>\n We also vet our partners through the lens of helping us to curate entirely new and authentic engagements that are both personal and shareable. When is the last time you walked into a store and wanted to share the experience with your Instagram or Snapchat followers? Three out of four of our visitors at 837 document their experience in the space on social. Curating programming and installations that resonate with visitors on this level would be impossible without our partners.<\/p>\n For us, 837 provides the opportunity to connect with both Samsung-owners and non-owners. For owners it has enabled us to provide them with loyalty rewards such as exclusive access to big cultural events and to offer deeper exposure to the Samsung ecosystem. For non-owners, it\u2019s a chance to focus on education and immersion with the brand. These consumer engagements are serving to increase brand favorability by 85%, drive purchase intent across all our product categories among current owners and non-owners alike, and following events we\u2019ve seen an increased pride-to-own<\/em> among Samsung customers.<\/p>\n And from the looks of it, we\u2019re not the only brand that\u2019s jumping on board with this new retailtainment model, as we saw the Cadillac House<\/a>, Sonos\u2019 Listening Room<\/a> and Kola House<\/a> from PepsiCo pop up shortly after we opened shop, all with unique points of view in bringing their respective brands to life.<\/p>\n Ultimately, I\u2019d challenge you to think beyond your current consumer engagement touch points, and explore new ways to allow consumers to get up-close-and-personal with your products or services. Offer them personal and shareable experiences that enable them to really understand how whatever you\u2019re selling has the potential to make their lives better \u2013 bridging the gap to build loyalty and trust.\u00a0 As our CMO Marc Mathieu<\/a> often says, \u201ceveryone who has a phone is an influencer.\u201d With the right experiences they will become your best advocates, without the heavy endorsement fees.<\/p>\n![\"](\"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/samsung-837-exterior-950x570.png\")
<\/a>Embrace partners to deliver genuine experiences that are personal and shareable<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n
Embrace your loyalists and engage the curious<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n
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<\/a> Zach Overton is vice president of customer experience and general manager of 837 for Samsung Electronics America.<\/p>\n