More than just a shop, a flagship store creates unique customer experience and enables brands to define their core values and identity. At a time when customers are turning to digital shopping for its variety and convenience, stores need to innovate more than ever.
Several flagship stores from our European segment are already acting as an effective marketing tool, offering an exciting and engaging user experience. From Vienna through Zagreb to Skopje. Does the future belong to the flagship?
The “WOW” ingredient
Having worked in customer service for several years, I genuinely understand the need to delight the customer. Even as end customer myself, I always stick to brands who offer seamless and outstanding experience, especially when it comes to retail.
In the first joint innovation shop of Magenta Telekom and Samsung Electronics Austria in Vienna, the service robot, Temi, supports 19 customers advisors. Temi welcomes customers in the entrance area in the role of a navigator, accessing a 3D map of the shop and guiding customers to the desired product. The desired product or service is selected on an integrated touch monitor, which includes customer recognition and further route planning in the store.
Have you ever thought about the air you’re breathing with prolonged hours of shopping? It often gets stagnant and dry. For this reason, Makedonski Telekom implemented a green eco wall in its flagship store in Skopje for natural air purification. It’s indeed a live vertical garden with automated watering system. Practical and simply amazing!
In store services
A wide choice of Magenta and Samsung services are available in Vienna’s flagship store, ranging from 5G ready smartphone tariffs with unlimited data, TV packages with up to 200 channels to the latest Samsung smartphones and tablets. But what differentiates it from other stores are the “Love Magenta” products, which are usually available only in selected stores in Germany.
“Love Magenta” is also present in Zagreb’s flagship store, opened at the Arena shopping center. Customers here can learn about smart devices, such as 3D printers, smart scales or vacuum cleaners. For the first time in Croatia, the popular Greyp electric bicycle can be seen and bought, which is connected to the internet all the time, thanks to the new eSIM technology.
An immersive experience
Getting even closer to the customer is what this large-format store can tackle best. The innovation store in Vienna offers customers and advisors to have a discussion at coworking tables, while in the training area, customers can attend workshops, such as smartphone trainings for seniors or smartphone photography. In the virtual reality area Samsung offers a virtual experience based on its smartphones and tablet
A corner for personal consultations is also offered for the customers of Makedonski Telekom in Skopje’s flagship store, situated in the city’s biggest shopping mall. In addition, they can enjoy using advanced services in a designed living room space serving as a gaming and fun zone.
Zagreb’s flagship store includes a gaming zone as well – an interactive space where visitors can play a drone game or try virtual football as a player of the selected club of Hrvatski Telekom First League.
Change is the only constant
When it comes to store innovation, change is the only constant to embrace. Deutsche Telekom’s flagship store’s concept, holding socializing, fun, multimedia, digitized and yet personal customer experience in its core, always welcomes experimenting. The days when a company would open a flagship store and then not give it a second thought are far in the past. Does the future belong to the flagship? In the future, we can expect to see a continual cycle of flagship store reinvention in our European footprint. While the flagship is not exclusive to the future of customer interaction, it will continue to bring together marketing and retail, enticing the customer to experience the brand’s personality and turn into brand ambassadors.
