Dec 10, 2015 | By Kira
Polish 3D printer manufacturer Zortrax has just opened its first 3D printer retail store in Warsaw, and the first 3D printing showroom of its kind in Poland. The Zortrax Store offers the complete range of Zortrax 3D printers, products, and software, as well as educational activities in order to raise consumers’ awareness of the advantages of 3D printing, and give them a firsthand look at 3D printing processes and technologies.
At any given moment, there are hundreds of different 3D printers models that could be ours with just the click of a button. However, online shopping rarely provides the same amount of information and tangible satisfaction as seeing a product in-store, testing it out, maybe even talking to an expert face-to-face about any concerns, and then walking away with purchase in hand. Despite the irony of tech-junkies being the most web-savvy and therefore most comfortable shopping online, some of the biggest technology retailers, including Apple and Microsoft, are well aware of the power of physical persuasion—why else would they pour so much design effort and employee training into their open-concept, brightly lit and immediately recognizable retail stores?
Zortrax, too, is aware of the importance of having a physical presence in order to draw in new customers, educate, and entice them in areas that mere websites might fall short. “Our research shows that 8 out of 10 customers will decide on their purchase of a 3D printer after having examined its performance capabilities in reality. We would like our customers to be able to see for themselves how well-suited Zortrax products are to a work environment,” said Łukasz Kaczmarczyk.
The flagship showroom, opened in collaboration with Zortrax’s official business partner 3D Pheonix, will offer a full range of 3D printing products, including their M200 and Inventure 3D printers, inviting professional 3D printer users as well as new clients interested in gaining additional knowledge to take a firsthand look.
However, in addition to attracting new and existing customers, Zortrax had an important secondary goal in opening this physical location: the key word of the week? Education, education, education. “The decision to open our 3D printing showroom wasn’t only business-oriented; we wanted to educated Poles,” said Kaczmarczyk. “One of the primary aspects of the Zortrax Store is a focus on education.”
The company is currently engaged in talks with several science, engineering and design-focused universities. In the near future, they plan to organize various meetings, lectures, and educational activities in the Zortrax Store for these students in order to raise awareness and educate them further on 3D printing processes and technologies.
“Educating Poles and raising their awareness on the advantages of 3D printing, and the endless possibilities that this technology carries with it, was one of the main reasons behind opening the Zortrax Store in Warsaw. I am strongly convinced that our showroom will soon become a very important point on Poland's technological map,” added Rafał Tomasiak, Zortrax CEO. In a similar push for 3D printing education, the Polish company recently agreed to equip M200 3D printers to 180 public benefit institutions within the Mazovian Voivodeship to level the technological playing field.
With big-name retailers beginning to include 3D printers in their product lists, including Best Buy, and Staples, 3D printing technology is slowly becoming less of a scientific novelty, and more of an everyday, understandable, and accessible commodity—a very important step towards the mainstreaming of this incredibly beneficial technology. Dedicated 3D printer showrooms such as Zotrax’s go even further, promoting not just sales, but 3D printing education and expertise.
Posted in 3D Printer Company
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