Sample Central retail store opens in Dubai

Sample Central was the first retail store of its kind, launched in Japan in 2007 and quickly spread around the world, gaining popularity in Latin America, Europe and Asia. Now, this membership-based experience comes to the consumers of Dubai.

"This model [Sample Central] gives consumers the chance to touch, try or taste a product, and therefore are more likely to buy it," he says Kevin Roberts, CEO Worldwide of Saatchi & Saatchi, "this is a powerful reason that Sample Central will attract new customers to brands and provide brand owners with real insights from the responses."

For the first time, the psyche of brands and consumers is being explored like never before.

Called tryvertising (or try-before-you-buy), Sample Central is a retail store, stocked with products, but for the members of Sample Central everything is free.

The only "payment" required is that members must complete online opinion surveys about the products they selected, providing valuable feedback and insights to manufactures and distributors. Once surveys are complete, the members can book an appointment to come to the store and select more products.

Founder and Global CEO of Sample Central, Anthony J James, says, "We have a serious passion for building and growing, innovative, creative, retail concepts - Sample Central makes this passion a reality."

He continued, "For consumers it's a fun, exciting destination, like nothing they have experience before, for brands, Sample Central is seen as truly influencing consumers purchasing habits and increasing sales."

When asked about the real sales increase brands experience, Mr James said, "Consumers today are less influenced by advertising and media messages than ever before. In fact we don't call them consumers, members of Sample Central are 'trysumers' - they don't want to be told what to buy, they want to make up their own minds, based on their opinion, in a relevant way, at a relevant moment."

"Tryvertising ignites the conversation and interaction between brands and consumers," he added, "We are continually amazed how many of our members, after trying products in Sample Central return to retail to buy the product, many brands see Sample Central as truly changing consumers purchasing habits over traditional mechanisms like advertising and promotion."

Most of us are familiar with the old style "tryvertising", the free shampoo sample in magazines, or a point of sale promotional stand in a supermarket. The challenge for brands has always been a certain lack of relevance. There is no guarantee samples are tried out at the right time, in the right spot, and by the right target audience. Sample Central is more targeted, and more relevant for today's consumer landscape.

Bruce Von Kaufmann, Assistant General Manager, Dubai Festival City, says, "We are pleased to be associated with a 'first' in this region. We strongly believe in the concept and its approach to retail. We believe that visitors and tenants will all benefit from Sample Central. It's refreshing to see a retail concept that competes with nobody in our mall, how can they, they don't sell anything."

Commenting on the launch, Akash Pal, Executive Director of Consumer Research at Nielsen, the leading global information and measurement company, said: "Measuring what, why and how consumers buy is at Nielsen's core."

"The Sample Central approach demonstrates the benefits of action research methods - the ability to gauge consumer decision-making in a real-life environment and direct access to consumer insights."

"I believe that the Sample Central model can contribute to a brand's market entry or the re-launch of a brand or product by providing decision makers with valuable real time consumer feedback."

The first flagship Sample Central store in the MENA region is now open in Festival City Mall. Membership is already filling fast.