JD taps test before purchase concept at home appliance stores
Chinese retailer JD has opened its first home appliance flagship store in Bengbu, a fourth-tier city in Anhui province.
The company is looking to launch 300 of these in prefectural-level cities on a one-city-one-store basis by 2025.
They will feature entertainment zones for testing products through the likes of cooking, driving go-karts, and piloting a drone to take photos.
“We’re trying to create a relaxed environment that encourages customers to try things out and enjoy themselves in the process of finding products that meet their needs, instead of purchasing only based on a dry recommendation from a salesperson,” says Naiqing Tong, Head of the Bengbu store.
The test before purchase concept is consistent with the consumption philosophy of younger people and has resulted in a customer base of mostly 20 somethings, Tong adds.
