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Samsung Experience Shop

Introduction
“ Best Buy and Samsung have joined together to create the Samsung Experience Shop, a store-in-a-store which allows customers to test the company's newest products, as well as get training in mobile products they already own. In summer 2013, more than 1,400 Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores have established the Samsung Experience Shop. About 460 square feet of space are dedicated for the SES, with the company's placement at Best Buy's entrance, as well as its sign visible in any part of the store. The purpose of the Samsung Experience Shop is to make Samsung's products, i.e. the Galaxy, more accessible to customers. “

The Samsung Experience is changing retail customer service. It is a store entirely dedicated to customer service and showcasing Samsung devices within Best Buy stores. The experience store is for a customer who has already purchased their Samsung device, and for potential customers to browse selections. Samsung employs experts that could tackle any issue that customers are experiencing either about the device or the service. These experts could help with “advice, product selection, tips and trick.” (Best Buy 2014)

The only other mobile company with similar stores as the experience stores is Apple’s Genius Bar, which is a section in Apple’s stores dedicated to customer services. Apple’s Genius Bar was first to launch before the Samsung Experience stores did. Samsung said “the launch of its Best Buy stores is not about competing with Apple, but rather to provide consumers with what they want.” (Katrina Dunagan 2013)

Samsung and Best Buy have been long time partners. The one difference the experience store adds to the relationship is that “Samsung products are going to be located in a single central area instead of being scattered around the store” said Chen, a New York Times reporter. In the experience store, Samsung employees would handle their products and Best Buy employees would handle the rest. Best Buy is benefiting very much from their current relationship with Samsung, no one knows really how much though.

Early History and Expansion
Samsung Electronics Canada first experimented with the idea of a standalone retail center with its Olympic Rendezvous @ Samsung stores in Vancouver, BC, Canada that operated during the 2010 Winter Olympics. The electronics company went on to open its first official standalone retail store in Burnaby, BC in July 2012. The conceptualization of an individual, specialized retail location for Samsung has been largely influenced by the success of these two projects.

The first Samsung Experience Shops began rolling out across Best Buy locations in the United States in May 2013. By the end of summer 2014, about 1,400 locations had been installed. In May 2014, Best Buy announced its plans to add 500 new Samsung Entertainment Experience Shops. While the previous Samsung Experience locations focus primarily on showcasing and providing support for Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones, cameras, and tablets, these new locations will showcase and support the company’s home theater products. Furthermore, consumers can visit these centers to learn more about the Samsung ecosystem of electronics and learn how their Galaxy products interact with another.

Unlike the Samsung Experience Shop, the Samsung Entertainment Experience will be run by Samsung trained Best Buy associates. The new centers are expected to finish rolling out across Best Buys in the US by January 2015.

Responses & Reviews
The outlook and future of the Samsung experience seems to be very bright not only for the store but for all parties involved.The store has gained customers from its convenient location as well as introducing samsung customers to other products found in Best Buy stores.The stores CEO Hubert Joly made comments about how beneficial SE is stating, “It’s winning for the customers, it’s winning for the vendors and it’s winning for Best Buy.”Joly as also made it clear that his intentions for the Samsung Experience is for it to expand indefinitely and for it assist in attracting more people to come in store instead of relying on online retailers.

Customers have also found the store to be very useful with all of their Samsung needs and getting help or advice with newly purchased or their current products .In the future we can ecpect for the Samsung Experience store to have many more locations and improvements to its technology offered as well as the point of focus to move from predominantly mobile phones to all Samsung products.

Bibliography

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Consumers with Connected Shopping Experiences" Samsung CA. Samsung,

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Bhasin, Kim. "Best Buy Expands Shops After Hit With 'Samsung Experience'" Huffingtonpost.com. Huffington Post, 21 May 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.

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Chen, B. (2013, April 4). Samsung Plans Mini-Stores in Best Buys. Retrieved November 17, 2014, from http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/04/samsung-will-open-mini-stores-inside-1400-best-buys/?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar&_r=0