- Background
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Setting the Scene for Connected Living
As connected living becomes increasingly relevant, Samsung sought to demonstrate SmartThings not just as a technical feature but as an intuitive ecosystem that enhances everyday life. In Ukraine, awareness of SmartThings remained relatively low, with many consumers unfamiliar with its real-life applications and benefits.
To bridge this gap, Samsung opened the largest Samsung shop-in-shop in Ukraine, featuring an innovative SmartThings zone, at Epicentr K7 Mall. Designed as a flagship retail destination, the store aimed to go beyond traditional product displays by offering an immersive, hands-on experience of Samsung’s connected ecosystem.
The key objectives were to drive foot traffic, boost in-store sales, and increase awareness of SmartThings through experiential retail.
- Creative idea
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Turning Smart Technology into a Living Experience
The idea was to create a fully connected living space where SmartThings seamlessly links devices across different lifestyle scenarios within the store.Rather than presenting products in isolation, the experience showed how smartphones, TVs, home appliances, and other devices interact within a single ecosystem.The SmartThings zone became the core of the store, allowing visitors to see, touch, and control a smart home environment in real time – turning technology into something tangible, understandable, and desirable.
- Insights & strategy
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From Perceived Complexity to Everyday Simplicity
Consumers often perceive smart home technology as complicated and difficult to manage. This perception limits adoption, even when interest is high.The strategy focused on learning through experience. By placing SmartThings in a physical, real-world setting and visualizing how it works across everyday moments – home comfort, entertainment, and daily routines – Samsung reframed SmartThings as a solution that simplifies life rather than complicates it.
- Execution
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Where the Smart Home Comes to Life
The interactive SmartThings-enabled zone within the store represents different aspects of daily living.Visitors could:• Control home devices from a single interface using SmartThings.• Test different scenarios within a single zone.• Experience seamless connectivity between smartphones, TVs, and home appliances.• Observe how automation and routines respond instantly to user actions.Innovative real-time demonstrations visualized device interactions, while trained consultants guided visitors through the ecosystem, explaining benefits in a clear and approachable way.This combination of visual storytelling, live interaction, and human guidance encouraged exploration, longer dwell time, and deeper engagement with SmartThings and the Samsung ecosystem.
- Results
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Making SmartThings Tangible — and Scalable
The launch of the largest Samsung shop-in-shop in Ukraine successfully elevated SmartThings from a feature with limited awareness to a visible, experiential ecosystem.The interactive SmartThings zone became a major attraction within the store, driving foot traffic, increasing customer engagement, and supporting sales performance.By allowing visitors to experience a connected home in action, Samsung strengthened brand perception and increased awareness of SmartThings as a practical, user-friendly solution for modern living.This successful solution was scaled to other retail platforms in Ukraine and abroad.