Groningen and Haarlemmermeer will have the first smart stores in the Netherlands, the municipality of Groningen reported on Friday. As locations outfitted for the trials and tests of cutting-edge technologies, they will also offer a personalised experience to each customer and will help them make the best choice possible. Smart stores are also a great way to teach seniors how modern devices work and help them stay connected during the periods of social isolation caused by Covid-19.
A library for modern technologies
The first Slimotheek or smart store in the Netherlands officially opened doors on 8 October in Haarlemmermeer, a municipality of 154 thousand inhabitants located in the west of the Netherlands. Slimotheek can be found in the Hoofddorp-Centrale Library and works just like a library– it gives you the chance to borrow smart technologies for yourself or for a friend and test them at home.
The items on display range from a robot vacuum cleaner to smart doorbells, smartphones or intelligent remote controls. By lending them for a couple of days, visitors to the library can decide if the intelligent device will really serve their needs and if it is worth the purchase.
If this is not the case, they can simply return it, as they would do with a book. What is more, consultants are available to assist in making the right choice, but also to support with the installation of software and products and with their use after the purchase.
The first Slimotheek in the Netherlands is already open to clients. Photo: Municipality of Haarlemmermeer
Slimotheek in Haarlemmermeer is open to everyone, during the operating hours of the Library – Tuesday from 10am to 12pm and Thursday from 3pm to 5pm. It has a display cabinet where the products can be seen all the time, even when no specialists are present. Next to it, there are product cards with more information.
Groningen will soon follow suit with its own smart store, which is set to open on 2 November. The Slimotheek is an initiative of GeneratieThuis in collaboration with the municipalities of Haarlemmermeer and Groningen, the Haarlemmermeer Library, Thuiszorg Comfort.
Smart technologies against loneliness and social exclusion
The smart shops are expected to be particularly useful to seniors, who normally have a harder time with new technologies. The assumption is that the elderly will be more eager to purchase modern devices for themselves if they can try them in advance and if they receive proper guidance.
The opening of this type of stores is especially important in the times of Covid-19 when the need of smart technologies, like tablets or smartphones became even more acute as a factor to reduce loneliness and support people in living longer independent lives. However, they are also a great solution for anyone who wants to reduce waste by purchasing only items that they really need.
Source: TheMayor.EU
