Ashley and Samsung Debut the Connected Home Experience

The new partnership brings together design and technology, giving consumers an inspiring new way to shop for their home in an interactive showroom

Ashley, the largest furniture store brand in North America, and Samsung Electronics America, a leading innovator in connected ecosystems and the #1 global TV brand for 18 years running, have teamed up to launch The Connected Home Experience powered by Samsung SmartThings, revolutionizing the way people shop for their home. Starting today, guests can visit the Ashley flagship store in Brentwood, Tenn. to experience how stylish furnishings and smart technology work together to elevate the lifestyle of today’s ever-connected consumer.

The partnership comes as more people are opting to make their now home, their dream home. Rather than shopping for smart home devices in a sea of shelves and little boxes, Ashley and Samsung are bringing connected living to life like never before. The showroom features on-trend furnishings where guests can see how easy it is to connect their favorite devices through the SmartThings ecosystem using interactive Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+. In these immersive vignettes, guests can see how their spaces can transform into the ultimate party destination, the perfect work-from-home setup, or a serene bedroom sanctuary – all with a touch of a button. Ashley shoppers will also be able to purchase popular tech from Samsung, like fan-favorite The Frame, AI-enabled 98” Q80C QLED TV, immersive Odyssey Ark gaming monitor, and the recently introduced Galaxy Tab S9 FE+.

“We’re thrilled to collaborate with Samsung to elevate the home furnishings industry in ways that have never been done before,” says Chad Spencer, CEO of the Dufresne Spencer Group, the largest licensee of Ashley stores. “With our shared commitment to pushing the boundaries of design and technology, this partnership will transform the way consumers experience their homes. Samsung was the obvious choice to bring fresh energy into retail, creating seamless, smart living solutions that enhance everyday life moments for our guests.”

For the first time ever, consumers can draw inspiration from home furnishings with connected experiences all in one place. Only Ashley, who has long prioritized innovation in retail, and Samsung, with its broad portfolio of connected tech, can marry furniture and smart home technology in this way. What’s more, all of Samsung’s 2024 TVs include a built-in SmartThings IoT hub and are Matter-enabled, providing the ideal way to get a connected home up and running. SmartThings is compatible with 3,800+ products from 340+ third-party brands, including leading smart plugs, locks, light bulbs and more – many of which Ashley customers may already have in their home.

This is Home. Connected.

As soon as guests enter the Brentwood store, they can fully immerse themselves in thoughtfully designed, curated spaces and experience SmartThings-enabled routines. Each vignette is anchored by Ashley’s newest product offerings inspired by the latest design trends and packed with 200+ functional connected devices from Samsung and SmartThings-compatible brands like Philips Hue lighting, Nanoleaf lighting, Eve roller shades, Kasa smart home products and Aqara curtain drivers. This allows guests to experience the comfort, versatility, and function of the products firsthand, helping them visualize the perfect smart home setup.

“Samsung wants to remove the barrier to shopping for smart technology. Together with Ashley, we’re making it possible to visualize how furniture and electronics come together to make a home a better place,” said Allison Stransky, Chief Marketing Officer, Samsung Electronics America. “The goal is to help people unlock the magic of connected living and make it more accessible. We believe it’s the experiences you have in your space that make it a home.”

To celebrate the opening of the in-store experience, Ashley and Samsung invite the public to a Grand Opening Event at the Brentwood store in the Cool Springs Shopping Center on Saturday, October 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. CT. Guests can participate in an exclusive episode taping from the “Get Real with Caroline Hobby” podcast hosted by Nashville personality Caroline Hobby, and be among the first to engage with the Connected Home Experience while enjoying giveaways and local vendors.

Enhancing Retail with Samsung B2B Displays

Ashley and Samsung are extending the hyper-connected smart home to business environments. A huge 241-inch Samsung dvLED video wall welcomes guests at the entrance, while two 130-inch IAC All-in-One LED displays serve as dynamic backdrops for the immersive vignettes. In the checkout lounge, the QE98C, a 98-inch LCD display powered by Samsung’s Quantum Processor 4K, delivers a premium experience for guests as they finalize their furnishing selections and complete their purchases. For the first time, Ashley is using Samsung’s SmartThings Pro to manage the back-end operations of the connected B2B displays. Samsung’s cloud-based VXT content management system enables remote control of the content across Ashley’s display ecosystem to elevate in-store engagement.

A New Interactive Smart Home Experience on Samsung.com

More store locations will open soon. While the Connected Home Experience is only available at the Ashley store in Brentwood, Tenn., plans are underway to expand this experience across the Ashley network of stores in the near future, making it accessible to more guests looking to enhance their homes with the latest connected solutions. In addition, Samsung created the new SmartThings Interactive Home on Samsung.com. This new feature allows consumers to visualize how they choose to connect their devices to make life easier and more seamless.

Source: Omdia, Jan 2024. Results are not an endorsement of Samsung. Any reliance on these results is at the third party’s own risk.

The content of this article is sourced from SAMSUNG's official website. [Click to Open]