OnePlus is on a proverbial high with the OnePlus 3 being hands down the phone of 2016 and the OnePlus 3T generating truck loads of positive reviews and very high anticipation in the wake of it availability in India. The company has been moving from strength to strength. One of the tools that the folks there have successfully mastered is the pop-up store series that they bring on with a device launch
The pop-up store gets it’s name from the fact that these stores pop up at central locations in various cities giving people first hand experiences of the latest devices from OnePlus and a chance to interact with the OnePlus team to get their perspective of what’s happening with the company. The OnePlus team also listens to what the users who are also called fans have to say. This methodology has worked well for the company, the feedback from the OnePlus 2 users helped a great deal in making the OnePlus 3 what it is today.
challenger building cult appeal
For the fans/users it is a veritable win-win, the primary appeal is the fact that you get to see, feel and buy the latest OnePlus device. The OnePlus team, often the top management or the founders are there on hand to talk to and engage with them, this adds a lot of apparent value for the whole experience. The deal gets sweeter with some creative twists that the team throws in from time to time.
But that being said, what is it that gets long queues of people starting at 7:00 am for an event that starts at 4:00 pm? The only other brand that I know which evokes this kind of response is Apple when they launch their new devices.
The reason driving this excited glee in people to get to these events is the fact that the OnePlus devices are generally somewhere near the best android device at the time that they are launched. The second reason is the fact that OnePlus is predominantly an online only brand and when devices are made available offline at places with high footfalls, it is like inviting ants to a jar of syrup, they throng the place! The OnePlus team also ensures that the users are taken care of and that they never feel left out.
If you ask my my personal opinion, it is a combination of the users expectation, the device’s popularity and the earnestness of the team to connect with and engage the community that makes these events what they are. I have been to a few and it feels like you are attending a family function of sorts. The key is that the event is mostly run by users/fans makes it even better as an experience. Either ways, this idea is a good one and a perfect compliment to the devices that OnePlus makes.
