[Rotterdam (Netherlands) = E-Daily Reporter JAEMIN SONG ] “As you can see, it’s not very interesting when products are just lined up in a row. Since these products are ultimately used at home, I wanted to show how they’re actually used in everyday life.”

On the 9th (local time), at “MediaMarkt Tech Village Rotterdam” in downtown Rotterdam, Netherlands. As we stepped inside the store, guided by the explanation of Lee Eun-young, Head of the B2C Marketing Team at LGELECTRONICS Benelux, a scene unfolded that was quite different from the familiar appliance stores where refrigerators and washing machines are lined up in a row. An actual “house,” complete with a kitchen, living room, and utility room, stood right in the middle of the store.

In this approximately 73 square meters (22 pyeong) space, not only refrigerators and washing machines but also ovens, induction cooktops, dishwashers, and air conditioners were arranged exactly as they would be in a real European home. Last November, LGELECTRONICS expanded its store—which had previously been about 28 square meters (8 pyeong)—to nearly three times its original size, completely transforming the product display area into a living space. Among the ten or so brands located at “Tech Village Rotterdam,” LGELECTRONICS is the only one to have recreated an actual home environment, complete with a kitchen, living room, and utility room.

The living room lights turn on when the laundry cycle ends, and the air conditioner shuts off the moment a window is opened

The key here goes beyond simply arranging products to look like a home. It is more like an “AI Home Experience Center” that demonstrates firsthand how artificial intelligence (AI) appliances connect with each other in a real-life home.

On-site, when Jay Romers, Marketing Manager at LGELECTRONICS Benelux, turned on the washing machine, other devices in the house linked up via LG Corp.’s AI Home platform “ThinQ” and the smart home platform “Homey.” While ThinQ connects and controls LG Corp. home appliances, Homey acts as a platform that integrates with ThinQ to expand the scope of connectivity to include compatible third-party devices such as lights and sensors. For example, it can schedule the washing machine to run when the home battery is fully charged or during off-peak electricity rates, and notify the user via living room lighting or an alert sound once the wash cycle is complete.

When a window was opened, another change occurred. As the window sensor detected this, the air conditioner that had been running automatically shut off. This prevents the system from unnecessarily cooling the outdoors without the user having to manually open the app to adjust settings. A demonstration followed in which the refrigerator and air conditioner exchanged information to adjust cooling times, thereby reducing peak power consumption.

Team Leader Lee Eun-young said, “While we talk about AI, what ultimately matters is how it can be applied in real life,” adding, “We focused on demonstrating how linking Homi and ThinQ can benefit consumers in their daily lives.”

LGELECTRONICS believes the Netherlands is an ideal market for testing this strategy. The country has a small land area and high housing costs, resulting in relatively small homes, and consumers there are highly concerned about energy costs and space efficiency. With solar panels installed in about one in three Dutch households, the question of when and how to use self-generated electricity is also emerging as a key issue.

Manager Romus said, “While you can compare product specifications and prices online, you can’t actually experience the product,” adding, “Here, consumers can see for themselves how the product works in a real living room or in everyday life.”

“Make It Feel Like Home” Strategy Boosts Sales by 20%… Expanding Across Europe

The strategy of deliberately transforming brick-and-mortar stores to resemble “homes” is yielding tangible sales results. According to LGELECTRONICS, sales at this store increased by more than 20% year-over-year in the first half of this year following its remodeling last November. It currently ranks among the top performers in terms of sales among LGELECTRONICS’ brick-and-mortar stores in the Netherlands.

LG Corp. explains that this is not merely the result of expanding the store’s size. Instead of viewing refrigerators or washing machines individually, customers are increasingly experiencing how various appliances work together in a real-life home setting, leading to more purchases of high-efficiency appliance bundles.

This is an attempt to redefine the very role of brick-and-mortar stores, particularly in Europe where online shopping has become the norm. Manager Romers explained, “While most consumers shop online, they can only compare features and prices there—they can’t actually experience the products,” adding, “That’s why there’s still a need for spaces where consumers can see firsthand what products can do in their daily lives.”

Based on the success of the Rotterdam store, LGELECTRONICS is considering plans to expand this type of “space solution” store. The strategy is to move beyond the traditional method of displaying and selling products individually and instead propose high-efficiency appliances, built-in appliances, and AI home systems as an integrated living space.