Electronic outlets offer single brand products
Kurniawan Hari The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
"We are buying this digital camera, aren't we?" a young boy nervously asked his father.
"There is no need for us to rush. There are various types of digital cameras. We have to see other brands to compare them before we buy one," the father, a man in his early 50s, said.
The boy and his father were at an electronics shop at Plaza eX in Central Jakarta.
Unlike the spacious Electronic City, Carrefour or Hypermarket stores where customers can choose items from many brands on display, there are now in Jakarta growing numbers of fashionably designed, single-brand shops.
These target at loyal customers for whom quality and after- sales service, rather than price, are their main considerations.
In Pondok Indah, South Jakarta, the Korean electronic company Sumsung runs the Samsung Digital Plaza.
The two-story building offers customers a friendly fun atmosphere to play and learn about products before they decide to buy ones. About three kilometers away to the northwest, the Samsung repair shop provides after sales services.
Sony electronics, meanwhile, runs Sony Centers while Panasonic has a Panasonic Gallery, both located at the modern Plaza eX in Central Jakarta.
The Samsung Digital Plaza functions as a "window" on the Samsung brand, its director says.
However, while its shop space is small and it is not centered in a mall, Dukki Kim says the outlet does attract numerous wealthy people driving their cars past in the street.
"Yes, the number of visitors is small because it is not a shopping zone. However, our sales volume here is quite good," he told The Jakarta Post.
As in the Sony Center and Panasonic a range of electronic appliances are on display, from tiny MP3 players, handycams, washing machines, Plasma TVs, LCD TVs, and Home Theater Systems to giant the ceiling-to-floor-high refrigerators.
The Samsung outlet, meanwhile, has a comfortable sofa set on the second floor for customers to test the quality of picture and sound from the Plasm TVs and Home Theater systems there, while free candy sits in a glass bowl.
There were only one or two visitors when the Post was looking around after office hours at about 5 p.m. This situation, however, did not worry the attendants.
"We sell audio and video appliances here. People come in, look around and sometimes make deal," said Fenni, a supervisor at Panasonic Gallery.
A popular item now was a Viera Plasma TV because of its competitive price. Sizes between 27 and 50 inches ranged between Rp 20 million and Rp 60 million.
Meanwhile, Kim of Samsung Plaza said the opening of similar outlet in Korea had been profitable, it was likely that the company would open more outlets here.
Kim said there were now more than 300 Samsung outlets in Korea and 70 percent of sales volume were from those outlets.
"This is a direct operation. We want to move closer to the consumers and to provide better services," he said.
One customer, Mary, who bought a washing machine from a Samsung Digital Plaza said that she enjoyed the ambience of the electronic outlet.
"The place is OK. I think the delivery service is good too," she said.
With a strong commitment to satisfying customers, it seems those shops will become a fashionable alternative for customers when buying electronics goods.