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Tokyo Sample Lab

The Sample Lab, which opened last year in Tokyo's Iceberg Building in Harajuku, is a members-only space that invites consumers to sample and test new products.

Members pay an annual fee and gain entrance to the lab by showing a QR code stored on their mobile. The store has shelves filled with different kinds of merchandise and features a room to sit down to try out beauty products.

Many consumers are happy to pay to be the first to try out a new product, and to spread buzz. Moreover, creating a dedicated space for trying out new products makes it easier to collect feedback.

Could Ad Agencies create dedicated spaces like this for their stable of brands or use retail space as a dedicated on-going live consumer research tool or as an incubator of marketing ideas & new products?

This entry was posted by Hashem Bajwa, on 11 March 2008. You can leave your response.

“Tokyo Sample Lab”

  1. Anonymous Ashley :-) Says:
    10:50 AM  

    Method did something much like this when they established 'pop-up' retail stores in major metros (there was one near Union Square for a while). It was a place for consumers to buy the products, as well as sample and buy products not yet offered in mass-retail stores.