Helping Samsung Reimagine Retail & Appliance Decision-Making

The Challenge.

Experience Strategy

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Consumer Decision-Making

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Experience Strategy 〰️ Consumer Decision-Making 〰️

Samsung wanted to understand how consumers shop for large appliances in-store following the disruption of COVID-19. While online research had become increasingly important, shoppers continued to visit retail stores before making major appliance purchases. This raised a fundamental question: If shoppers can compare products online, what purpose does the store actually serve?

The challenge was understanding what role stores actually play in modern appliance shopping and how Samsung could improve retail experiences, merchandising, and messaging to win brand preference.

Methodologies &
My Role.

01
Remote Ethnography

Conducted a 33-participant study, using video diaries, photo journaling, and screencast missions to capture shoppers' pre-purchase research, retailer expectations, and purchase planning.

02
Ethnographic Field Research

Conducted 20 shop-alongs across multiple retail environments, in 3 markets across the U.S.
(Chicago, Dallas, Florida).

03
Behavioral Analysis

Synthesized behavioral patterns across shopping journeys, decision-making styles, brand perceptions, and purchase criteria.

04
Journey Mapping & Frameworks

Mapped appliance shopping journeys and developed behavioral frameworks illustrating how shoppers discover, evaluate, compare, and purchase appliances.

05
Executive Storytelling

Led synthesis and translated findings into retail, merchandising, and experience recommendations.

Areas of Observation

Customers shopped for refrigerators, washers & dryers, ovens & ranges, and dishwashers while researchers observed their:

  • Pre-store expectations

  • Navigation and wayfinding

  • Product interaction

  • Information and messaging consumption

  • Sales associate engagement

  • Brand evaluation

  • Smart appliance perceptions

  • Post-shop reflections

39 Remote Shopping Studies

Participants completed a week-long mobile ethnography documenting:

  • Current appliances

  • Replacement triggers

  • Shopping expectations

  • Online research behaviors

  • Purchase criteria

  • Brand perceptions

  • Product preferences

20 In-Store Shop-Alongs

Across Chicago, Dallas, Miami, and Fort Lauderdale, participants visited appliance retailers while researchers observed shopping behavior in real time.

Participants visited retailers including:

  • Home Depot

  • Lowe's

  • Best Buy

  • ABT Electronics

  • Nebraska Furniture Mart

Research
Approach.

Key Insight 1: The store is where shoppers validate quality—not where they learn specifications.

Before entering a store, most shoppers had already completed significant online research. What they could not evaluate online was:

  • Build quality

  • Durability

  • Ease of use

  • Physical fit

  • Emotional response

Shoppers repeatedly opened doors, removed shelves, knocked on surfaces, tested handles, and imagined using products in their homes. The physical experience often determined whether a product stayed in consideration.

Implication

Retail should be designed less like an information environment and more like an interaction environment.

Key Insight 2: Appliance shopping is emotional before it is rational.

Consumers described shopping as overwhelming due to:

  • Large financial commitment

  • Numerous similar-looking products

  • Difficult-to-interpret feature differences

Despite arriving with specifications in mind, shoppers ultimately evaluated products through the lens of their own lives. Questions included:

  • Will this be easy to clean?

  • Will this fit my family?

  • Will I regret buying this?

  • Can I picture this in my home?

Rather than comparing specifications, shoppers compared future experiences.

Implication

Messaging should focus on ownership experiences and lifestyle outcomes rather than feature lists alone.

Insights & Implications.

Key Insight 3: Shoppers rarely consume retail messaging the way brands expect.

One of the most surprising findings was how little traditional point-of-purchase communication was actually read. Shoppers entered stores intending to:

  • Open doors

  • Pull drawers

  • Touch surfaces

  • Compare products

They did not enter intending to read signage. Even highly visible displays and informational materials were frequently ignored.

Samsung has an opportunity to rethink retail communication beyond static signage and specification-heavy displays.

Key Insight 4: "Smart" is compelling—but poorly understood.

Many shoppers assumed future appliances should be smart.

However, very few could clearly articulate:

  • What smart appliances do

  • Why they matter

  • How they improve daily life

Most relied on vague examples or comparisons to products like Ring or Nest.

The word "smart" generated interest, but not understanding.

Implication

Samsung should communicate outcomes rather than technology. Consumers need stories, use cases, and everyday benefits—not connectivity features.

Implication

Strategic
Outcomes.

  • Research revealed that stores are not primarily places where shoppers learn specifications. Instead, they are places where shoppers validate quality, imagine ownership, and build confidence in expensive purchase decisions.

  • These findings informed Samsung's retail strategy, merchandising approach, and communication of key platforms including Bespoke and Smart appliances.