JBL has been pushing ahead in its audio offerings from headphones to portable speakers and even connected home products, but now the Harman brand owned by Samsung is showing retailers just how to use the space given to them in order to improve brand awareness, and ultimately, make more sales.
ChannelNews was invited to the grand opening of the JBL Live Lounge at Bing Lee inside the Rhodes Shopping Centre where the audio company unveiled its collaboration in utilising the empty space at the front of the store.
Transforming what a bare area that facilitated entry into the Bing Lee store and nothing else was.
Bing Lee approached JBL roughly a year ago with the opportunity to take over the space and create a ‘store within a store’.
JBL’s family-oriented mentality it’s one that meshes well with the Bing Lee culture, with almost every Aussie knowing who Lionel Lee and Yenda Lee are from their immensely successful marketing campaigns.
In what is JBL’s first store-in-store in Australia, the company has improved upon the shortcomings of traditional retail layouts and created a perfect lineup of their entire product range from beginning to end.
The shopfront sits just down from the entrance to IKEA, meaning flatpack shoppers finished with the Swedish furniture company will add to the foot traffic, as well as those heading to the food court and cinemas.
Supported by brand ambassador, Sydney DJ Tigerlily, the event saw the official ribbon cutting on what will be the first of many more intelligent uses of retail spaces across Bing Lee stores, and potentially other major retailers.
The mindset for the JBL Live Lounge was to create an experience for the consumer where they can walk through a guided display of the entire product range without having to move from section to section as you would in a traditional retailer.
Instead of separating smart speakers, headphones and soundbars from portable speakers, JBL lines its products side by side along with product demos and listening stations.
Unfortunately due to fire safety requirements, JBL was not able to fit out the Live Lounge with an actual Lounge suite, as the thoroughfare nature of the space prevented them from adding in couches or even a couple of beanbags.
Though in speaking to JBL executives, this may improve the experience for consumers, as shoppers can walk in and out without having to navigate between seated customers.
Plus it also prevents parents from just dropping off their kids.
