source: www.samplelab-international.com

Abstract: Sample Lab!, located in a very crowded shopping area in Tokyo, is a store where products are displayed only for demo. Visitors come and try them and get rewarded by taking home some of the products they have tried…

A retail experience that focuses on, and gives consumers, a certain degree of choice, while promoting and testing products and innovations.
It actually redefines “tryvertising” (try before you buy).

The members can actually try out the latest – and often unreleased – products.

In return, they have to complete surveys that help brands, designers and manufacturers to improve and fine-tune their products for the mass market.

Driver 

Social

Consumers looking for alternative shopping experiences…

Economic crisis lead to changes in consumers attitude: more reasoned purchasing and guarantee of quality required (consumers guides, magazine, blogs, etc.)

Economic / Industrial

Before, free sampling was always inducted by companies, risking to get negative feelings connected to the brand.
Now, there is a growing acceptance to get products sampled in a partially free environment, removing those potentially bad effects.

Obstacle

Social

The members may be biased by the fact of knowing to be observed, and therefore making the questionnaires and data collected partially useless.

Indication

Change in current innovation patterns

Companies can acquire more elements while finalizing a product before starting mass production.

Sector specifics / cultural specifics

This is limited usually only to the size of the products (generally small), and their cost (cheap to medium, e.g: laptops).

Source

Internet

www.samplelab-international.com/ 

samplelab.jp/