In a bid to meet what it refers to as the changing demands and purchasing patterns of customers, HP has partnered with Dion Wired to launch its first Store-in-Store (SiS) in Woodmead, Sandton.

The opening comes mere weeks after HP announced that it was terminating its TouchPad tablet line and considering spinning off its Personal Systems Group (which caters for personal PCs and mobile devices) in whole or in part. Nonetheless, Thibault Dousson, PSG country manager at HP South Africa, was optimistic about HP’s future, and added that he would not be surprised to see HP ‘bounce back’ stronger than before.

Dousson explained that the SiS concept embraced the notion that customer-buying habits are changing from internet-based purchases of technology goods and products, to one where users prefer to engage in person with technology before making a purchase. He elaborated that, while the internet remained a fantastic place to source technology, the company was seeing a shift amongst customers who did their ‘window-shopping’ online, but because they had been burnt by the arrival of inferior products, chose to make the final purchase after they have physically engaged with a product.

“We live in a world where opinions are being swayed and decisions are often made as a result of social media influencers,” stated Dousson. “But it is because of this that people are starting to feel disconnected with the ‘real’ world and as a result are moving back to making buying decisions based on a tactile experience,” he added.

The decision to select Dion Wired as HP’s SiS partner was a result of it being one of the country’s premier consumer electronics and appliances stores. Dousson pointed out that the new HP SiS not only offered customers an opportunity to feel and engage with HP products, but also provided them with the value added sales, after sales and support services that they demand from a vendor and its partners.


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