• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, October 1, 2024

While consumers are increasingly happy to use connected devices throughout the home, Samsung wants to bring them all together.

The company is teaming up with Ashley Furniture, turning the retailer’s flagship store in Brentwood, Tennessee into a connected home shopping experience. Sixteen vignettes throughout the store connect more than 200 devices from Samsung and SmartThings -- compatible brands like Philips Hue, Eve and Aqara.

The goal is to show people that a “smart home” can mean much more than a TV or lighting, but the ultimate in personalization. Allison Stransky, CMO of Samsung Electronics America, tells Marketing Daily what the two companies hope to learn. 

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Marketing Daily: What was the big idea behind this brand partnership?

Allison Stransky: Ashley and Samsung have many values in common – we’re leaders and innovators in the home space and in perfectly complementary ways. Ashley is the No. 1 furniture retailer in North America. And we’re No. 1 in TVs. What’s a TV without a sofa, or a couch without a TV?

On the Samsung side, what was important to us was that it was not just about the TVs or the product itself. Our vision is to help consumers see the power of connected living powered by SmartThings.

That is the thing that's going to take your home to the next level. The connectivity and benefits that come from it will make you love your home and space in a whole new way. That’s what we’re hoping to show our mutual customers.

Marketing Daily: Explain what some of these vignettes include.

Stransky: One of my favorites starts with the kitchen table. It’s where the family gathers and is such an essential part of the home. This includes several TVs, a sound bar, a music frame with artwork, and a kiosk with a tablet that allows you to control the smart home experience.

We’ve set this one up in two modes. There’s a preparation mode: the lights are high, you’re cooking dinner, and the kids are at the table doing homework. Then you switch to dinnertime mode, and the curtains close, lights dim, and music sets the tone for what you and your family want to experience during the meal.

It’s customizable. Connectivity is the end goal, making each space right for you. The kitchen is about family and bonding. The bedroom is about health, having the proper lighting in the morning when you wake up, and being in the right mood at night when you're going to sleep.

Marketing Daily: Unless we’re building a house from scratch or moving, most people don’t buy home furnishings all at once. We buy things a few at a time when something breaks or we want to freshen up a look. Does that make connecting many things at once harder to sell?

Stransky: SmartThings is an open ecosystem. It works with many of the products you already have in your house. So we’ve set these vignettes up to inspire you to connect things you already have. Most people are not going to buy all new, all at once. We're hoping that when people see pieces that inspire them -- like the kitchen table -- they’ll upgrade.

And we think people will start building one fully connected room, then work their way to a fully connected house. Once you get a bit of an appetite for it, the whole house follows.

Marketing Daily:Many people are comfortable with connected TVs and speakers or camera doorbells. But how far have people come in connecting larger appliances? The first time I saw a connected Samsung refrigerator, I thought, 'Well, that’s stupid.’ Now I can’t wait to get one.

Stransky: People have come a long way in terms of connected homes. A lot of the narrative still is about security. People think of smart locks and camera systems. We’re trying to open that narrative, bringing better health solutions, more efficiency in working from home, better home workouts, or giving you back time to do more things that matter.

For example, people often say how much they love seeing when their laundry is done on their TV: “I can change that washer to the dryer and get to bed much earlier.”

Everyone finds their little hook in why connectivity makes sense for them. That’s part of our marketing strategy -- showcasing that connectivity is not just security. Whatever matters most to you at home, we can address with connectivity.

We're at a tipping point, moving along in the adoption curve. Early adopters said, “This is great, and I can install all these things -- like a Ring doorbell -- myself.” However, as connectivity becomes more mainstream, the typical consumer is not such a gadget guy. And Ashley will help us reach that audience.

Marketing Daily:Is there a plan to move this beyond the Brentwood store if it goes well?

Stransky: For now, we're focused on this location. We want to see engagement with the vignettes and gather feedback from Ashley about what people are saying and doing. We are constantly measuring usage, adoption rates and what people do with their apps.

We’re also launching a Samsung SmartThings connected home experience on samsung.com, a scaled approach to what we offer in the store.