[Report] Selling Experience, Not Just Products: LG's Strategy to Capture the European Premium Appliance Market

At an Appliance Store in the Netherlands
More Than Product Displays, Complete Living Spaces
Experience AI Homes and Appliances for Europe Firsthand

"Ding~." A notification appears on the display in the living room on the first floor. It is a signal from the dryer on the second floor, indicating that the laundry has finished drying. In Dutch homes, where washing machines and dryers are typically placed on the second or third floors, the usefulness of AI (artificial intelligence) home platforms truly stands out.

This lifestyle change can be experienced directly in stores. LG Electronics is introducing its products in home appliance stores with a focus on living spaces, targeting European customers with high demand for premium products. On the 7th (local time), upon entering the MediaMarkt Tech Village Rotterdam, an electronics store located at Binnenwegplein in the heart of Rotterdam, Netherlands, the space resembled a real home rather than displaying densely lined-up appliances.

On the 7th (local time), a product space was set up at the LG Electronics home appliance store in MediaMarkt Tech Village Rotterdam, an electronics store located at Binnenwegplein in the center of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Photo by Junyi Park.

Tech Village serves as a strategic hub store for MediaMarktSaturn, operating in major commercial districts of key European cities. Instead of simply exhibiting products, LG Electronics has created an experiential space here to demonstrate how appliances are used and interconnected in actual living environments.

On this day, visitors at the store could witness firsthand the changes in daily life brought about by connecting products. Using LG Electronics’ AI home platform 'LG ThinQ' and the smart home hub 'Homey Pro,' LG connected appliances with other smart home devices. With ThinQ and Homey, users could check the operating status of their washing machine or dryer via the living room display or a portable display.

Jay Rommers, Marketing Manager of LG Electronics Benelux, demonstrated connecting home appliances and other smart home devices using LG Electronics' AI home platform 'LG ThinQ' and smart home hub 'Homey Pro' at the LG Electronics appliance store in 'MediaMarkt Tech Village Rotterdam,' an electronics store located at Binnenwegplein in downtown Rotterdam, Netherlands, on the 7th (local time). Photo by Junyi Park.

Customers can also try out the energy-saving features themselves. For example, when a window sensor is connected to the air conditioner, opening the window will automatically stop the air conditioner and send a notification to the consumer. Additionally, if the refrigerator detects a situation that requires cooling, it communicates with the air conditioner, and the refrigerator operates only after the indoor temperature has dropped.

Jay Rommers, Marketing Manager at LG Electronics Benelux, explained, "Online, people mostly compare functions and prices but cannot experience the product directly," adding, "The purpose of these stores is to let customers see how the products actually operate in the living room and in daily life."

On the 7th (local time), at the MediaMarkt Tech Village Rotterdam, an electronics store located in Binnenwegplein in the center of Rotterdam, Netherlands, there is a designated product space for LG Electronics home appliances. The featured products include washing machines and stylers mainly aimed at European local customers living in compact spaces. Photo by Junyi Park.

At the end of November last year, LG Electronics nearly tripled the size of its store from about 28 sqm (approximately 8 pyeong) to approximately 73 sqm (around 22 pyeong), and completely renovated the product-centric display area into a living-space format. The store now features not only products currently on sale but also some future products yet to be launched. This allows customers to preview the lifestyle LG Electronics proposes in advance.

This has also led to tangible results. According to LG Electronics, after the remodeling, sales at this store in the first half of this year increased by around 20% compared to the same period last year. The company plans to gradually expand its network of stores specializing in space solutions.

On the 7th (local time), the electronics store 'MediaMarkt Tech Village Rotterdam' located at Binnenwegplein in the center of Rotterdam, Netherlands. Photo by Jun Lee.

LG Electronics has established itself as a premium brand in the Netherlands. Eunyoung Lee, Head of B2C (Business-to-Consumer) Marketing at LG Electronics Benelux, said, "The Netherlands itself is a premium consumer market and highly brand-oriented," adding, "Among them, LG Electronics is positioned as a premium brand."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.