Following an announcement earlier this year that they would be opening their very first Canadian store, the day has finally arrived for Samsung.
Located at the Metropolis in Metrotown mall, the store officially opened their doors July 11, 2012 allowing customers the opportunity to interact, fiddle and inquire about the company’s wide line-up of Smartphones, Tablets, PCs, laptops and digital cameras.
Similarly to the immensely popular Apple Stores and their aptly named Genius Bars, there is tabled area set up towards the back of the store where one-on-one tutorials and product demonstrations are given by store staff.
Known simply as the Samsung Store, the 140 square-metre space features a team of knowledgeable staff as well as strategically placed Galaxy Tab tablets containing detailed information on nearby products such as specs and pricing. Touch screen displays with rate information are also readily available and feature prices for all Canadian wireless retailers (Rogers, Bell, Koodo, TELUS, Virgin and Fido).
According to Samsung Canada CEO James Politeski, the reasoning behind selecting metro Vancouver for their North American flagship store had a lot to do with the 2010 Winter Olympics. The company, who is an official sponsor of the games, had set up various pavilions in and around high traffic areas in Vancouver and Whistler. The volume of foot traffic and positive feedback they received regarding their products was enough to convince the Korean company to go ahead and set up an official store on Canada’s West Coast.
In an ironic twist, Samsung is relying on what they have been taught by their main rival Apple in terms of creating interactive and visually appealing space for customers to interact directly with the products themselves. In doing so, the customer beings to intuitively experiment with the technology while also determining how it will fit into their lives. Given Samsung’s focus on the interactivity of their products (TVs included), as well as their place at the forefront of innovation, the products do a great job of selling themselves. There is no greater example of this than the wildly popular Galaxy S III Smartphone, which is widely considered to be the new industry standard.
The timing could not be better for Samsung, who are coming off strong Q2 projections and sales totals. Already the largest mobile device maker in the world, the company is looking to further entrench themselves at the top of the totem poll.
Video footage of the opening is available below, courtesy of the Vancouver Sun and their fantastic Technology team.
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