Shopping habits are changing: before buying expensive products, consumers want to try them out first

Although online stores have made shopping faster than ever, when it comes to larger and more expensive purchases consumers still want to touch, test and experience a product for themselves before making a decision. To meet visitors' changing expectations, a technology store with a novel concept, d.one, has opened at Ülemiste Centre, where every product can be tried out before buying.

The newly opened d.one store is fundamentally different from a conventional technology store: not a single product stands in a display case or sits boxed up on a shelf. Customers can actually vacuum the floor with a vacuum cleaner, blow-dry their hair or have it styled, and see how an air purifier really works. The entire range is open for a hands-on experience.

“Customers are smart. When a product costs several hundred euros, a nice picture in an online store is no longer enough – people want to pick it up, try it and make sure it is exactly the right product for them,” said Guido Pärnits, Director of Ülemiste Centre. “This is a signal to retailers: the physical store has not lost its purpose if it can offer something an online store cannot.”

The newly opened store also stands out in that it is staffed by specialists whose job is not to sell, but to help customers find the solution that is right for them.

“Our relationship with the customer neither begins nor ends at the moment of purchase. We want to be a long-term partner for every customer, helping them get the most out of a product years later too,” said Meelis Karema, Manager of the d.one store at Ülemiste Centre. “That is why, in addition to personal consultations and product demonstrations, we also offer after-sales and warranty service on site and share advice with existing Dyson owners.”

The store focuses on Dyson products in three categories: home care (cordless and robot vacuum cleaners, floor washers), air care (purifiers, fans, fan heaters and humidifiers) and hair-care products (the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer, Airwrap and the Corrale straightener). In addition to Dyson, the store also represents the brands Tineco, Laurastar, SteamOne, Stadler Form, Narwal, Smeg, Novis, Graef and many others.

d.one is a premium technology-store concept operating in the Baltics that focuses on a hands-on shopping experience and expert-based service.