Sony Opens Flagship Boutique at Dubai Mall

•    Boutique set to woo tech aficionados and Sony fans
•    High Resolution Audio makes UAE debut at new boutique

Dubai-UAE: 09 February, 2015 – Sony today announced the inauguration of its newly designed concept Sony Boutique at Dubai Mall. Aiming to provide shoppers – both avid technology enthusiasts and Sony fans - with an immersive experience of Sony products, the 550 square meter boutique features a world-class retail design theme that complements Sony’s global philosophy of ‘inspiring and fulfilling the curiosity of people around the world and moving them emotionally’.

Speaking at the inauguration, Satoru Arai, Head, Sony Middle East Marketing Company, said: “The retail environment has increasingly become more relevant with customers looking to touch, feel and experience products before making their buying decisions. Such experiential retail marketing demands that store environments are built not just to sell products, but also to recreate experiences giving customers the opportunity to connect with the brand and product.

“Our new Sony Boutique showcases every detail of our latest products and technologies, while allowing consumers to instantly step into our world of entertainment content such as movies, music, games. We are convinced this boutique will hold high appeal not just to tech aficionados with their exacting standards but also to Sony fans and lay consumers who will find technology demystified at this boutique.”

Arai added: “Strategically, for us at Sony, the Dubai Mall location has always delivered on its expectations. The outlet alone is set to deliver about 40% incremental sales - making it the single most important retail showcase for us in the Middle East and Africa region.”

The new concept boutique features a wide-open storefront to provide an unobstructed view into the world of Sony. From Sony music artists playing on high resolution audio devices to movies from Sony Pictures playing on the immersive 4K TVs, the full breadth of Sony’s product range can be enjoyed at one location. Customer expectations are further met with Sony’s specialists providing an insight into the technical capabilities of the products and their unique differentiators.

The Sony Boutique has five distinct product zones for gaming, mobility, digital imaging, as well as home entertainment and high resolution audio.

Just as HDTV revolutionized television viewing with its huge leap in picture quality, High Resolution Audio is doing the same for music. The Sony Boutique is the first outlet in the UAE to feature High Resolution audio products and the dedicated High Resolution Audio zone showcases Sony’s latest product offering in this segment, from premium headphones, portable music players to voice recorders and wireless speakers. The zone is targeted at audiophiles that truly value the pure sound quality delivered by hi-res audio products – whether inside the home or on-the-go.

The Home Entertainment zone, meanwhile, showcases large screen 4K-enabled LED televisions and 4K-enabled home projectors that offer a true cinematic experience at home.

The Digital Imaging zone is a big draw for photography enthusiasts with the entire zone dedicated to Sony’s imaging products like the Alpha (α) interchangeable lens and mirrorless cameras featuring the latest autofocus technology - Sony’s advanced 4D Focus technology. The 4D Focus technology enables the state-of-the-art sensor to detect both space and time for delivering the sharpest focus across four dimensions. High-end Cyber-shot digital cameras, 4K Handycam camcorders and Sony’s range of point-of-view cameras, the ActionCam are also part of this zone.

This zone also features a unique ‘shooting object’ area where consumers can get a hands-on feel of the latest cameras and take pictures of scaled down (4D) model of Dubai’s iconic landmarks - Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab, and Dubai Metro, among others.

For gaming enthusiasts, a dedicated zone features the latest PlayStation models, while technology buffs can browse through the latest XPERIA mobile phones and accessories at the mobility zone.

Arai added: “The new concept boutique is a platform to preview innovative technologies as well as listen and learn from customer feedback. We are looking at setting new benchmarks in customer service with our new ‘hotel concierge’ style service to visitors. We are looking to gather opinions so we can continually evolve and improve our retail experience. With Sony increasing its focus on providing its customers with an integrated shopping experience, we are keen to engage with consumers at the store beyond sales through conducting exclusive activities such as training seminars for our digital imaging products and lens-on-hire services.”

The Sony Boutique is located at level 2 of the Dubai Mall opposite the Metro Link.