Hotels, Airports, Shopping Malls... Mid-sized Appliance Companies All-in on Experiences in the Second Half

[Financial News] Mid-sized appliance companies are actively expanding experience spaces for massage chairs, mattresses, etc., in the second half of the year. Particularly, they are operating experience spaces in various places such as hotels, airports, and shopping malls, beyond existing stores, to expand contact points with consumers.
According to related industries on the 7th, Coway is expanding Virex massage chair experience spaces centered on hotels. Recently, they installed Virex massage chairs 'Pebble Chair' and 'Triple Chair' in three royal-type rooms and the wellness sauna lounge at Lotte Hotel & Resort Gimhae.
Previously, Coway operated Virex rooms at Lotte Hotel Seoul and L7 Haeundae by Lotte last year. This time, they expanded massage chair experience rooms to Lotte Hotel & Resort Gimhae. Additionally, since last month, Coway has been operating a direct store at Lotte Department Store Cheongnyangni in Seoul, where customers can experience 'Virex Triple Chair', 'Virex Smart Mattress S8+', etc.
A Coway representative said, "Unlike environmental appliances such as water purifiers, air purifiers, and bidets, consumers tend to want to experience massage chairs and mattresses before purchasing," adding, "We will continue to expand experience spaces so that more consumers can experience Virex products."
Ceragem has set up an experience space at the airport. Ceragem, in collaboration with Korean Air, has created a relaxation space 'Wellness Room' in the lounge of Incheon International Airport Terminal 2. Initially, they installed a total of 19 units, including 'Master V7' and 'Pause M8', in the Mile Club and Prestige East Lounge.
Previously, in 2023, Ceragem installed a total of 37 units, including 'Master V6' and 'Pause M2', in three areas: first-class lounge, Mile Club, and Prestige Lounge at Korean Air Incheon International Airport Lounge. They participated in the Incheon International Airport Lounge Renewal Project at the request of Korean Air this time as well.
Bodyfriend recently operated an experiential pop-up store 'Health Lifespan Recharge Station' at Gangdong I-Park The River Mall. The Health Lifespan Recharge Station is designed to allow visitors to experience healthcare appliances to increase health lifespan and feel a healthy lifestyle.
Visitors to this place can experience eight types of healthcare appliances, including △Aesthetic Healthcare Robot 'Quantum Beauty Capsule' △Full-body Stretching Healthcare Robot 'Eden Robo' △Compact Healthcare Robot 'Falcon S' △Massage Sofa 'Familie C'. Bodyfriend plans to operate Health Lifespan Recharge Stations in Suwon Dongtan, Busan, and Gwangju as well.
An industry representative said, "While online purchases of water purifiers, air purifiers, and bidets are increasing recently, consumers tend to want to experience massage chairs and mattresses before purchasing," adding, "Therefore, mid-sized appliance companies are focusing on expanding spaces where massage chairs can be directly experienced."

butter@fnnews.com Kang Kyung-rae Reporter