IEC joins launch of first Nokia Lifestyle Shop at Siam Paragon
Nokia Thailand has joined with IEC Thailand to launch its first Nokia Lifestyle Shop at Siam Paragon in Bangkok where smart-phone shoppers can experience a Nokia product and its technological features before buying.
“Inspired by modern, interactive lifestyles, Thailand’s first Nokia Lifestyle Shop is designed under the concept of ‘an interactive place for mobile technology lovers’. It is the place where mobile enthusiasts must visit to update, interact and share passions for mobile technology,” Grant McBeath, managing director of Nokia Thailand and Emerging Asia, said yesterday.
The Nokia Experience Studio has been transformed into the Nokia Lifestyle Shop with neo-minimalism decoration and vibrant colours for an active, young and modern look. The 134-square-metre unit is divided into four zones – interactive intelligence, experience display, accessories corner and lifestyle studio.
Nokia hired a British company called Fitch to design the Lifestyle Shop specifically for Nokia Thailand.
“It’s our flagship store. We have not yet a plan to set up more Nokia Lifestyle Shops elsewhere in Thailand. But we plan to open four to six more Nokia shops. We do not focus on the quantity of shops, but we focus on the quality of shops,” McBeath said.
Smart phones need space and a place to allow customers to try them out. The Lumia is the newest smart-phone model from Nokia.
Once third-generation cellular service is fully available here, the mobile-phone market will be more exciting. Nokia has confidence in maintaining its position in the market, offering a full range to serve different groups of customers, he said.
“The mobile-phone industry in Thailand has been changing rapidly. When the 3G auction happens, that will create more use of mobile phones. Users want to be connected with friends.
“Nokia has the Nokia Lumia family to capture the low end to high end. The smart-phone market in Thailand has a lot of room for Nokia to grow. We just launched a Windows Phone platform smart phone – the Nokia Lumia. The feedback has been good. We’re very excited. We’re confident to enter the smart-phone market in Thailand,” he said.
Jitkasame Ngarmnil, chief executive officer of IEC, said the company invested in the Nokia Lifestyle Shop at Siam Paragon and operates it as a 30-year partner of Nokia in Thailand.
Nokia has 10 shops run by IEC and 13 by Central Marketing Group.
IEC stopped selling products two years ago. It has turned its skills and know-how to providing service for Nokia to help it make Thais familiar with its smart phones.
“Now, we work as the operator for the shop. We want this shop to be the centre to connect Nokia and its customers,” Jitkasame said.
Nokia’s head of sales operations for Thailand and emerging Asia said 20,000-30,000 customers visited the shop at Siam Paragon daily. The conversion rate – the ability to turn these visits into sales – is now 7 per cent, but is expected to be increased to 9 per cent in six months.
