Home-grown brand Osim, known for its massage chairs and fitness products, recently opened its first physical store on the east coast of the United States in New York City this past June. To the company’s staff and management, the pop-up store at the Roosevelt Field – the second largest shopping centre in the state of New York – was a hard-earned triumph.
“We knew that we needed to have our products shown in an Osim environment, in an Osim shop. We chose locations that we believed had potential, but sometimes when we set up a store, it just didn’t attract customers,” explains deputy chief executive officer Lynn Tan, 48. “We picked these countries because the barriers to entry were easier to overcome, given their similarities in language and culture. Another important factor was that the consumers in these markets clearly understood the benefits of massage, making them more receptive to our offerings,” explains Ms Tan.
The advice of partners on the ground, including franchisees and distributors, helped tremendously too. Branding partnerships with Disney – achieved with the help of Enterprise Singapore – Hasbro, Pokemon and other household names have also furthered its reach. As attention to holistic wellness grew worldwide, the brand saw an opening and developed “well-being chairs” that tackle stress, a common problem across borders and regions. One of these is its uDream Pro Well-Being Chair, billed as the world’s first five-senses massage chair because of its aroma pods and other in-built technologies, including artificial intelligence.
As wellness becomes a universal concern, Osim is investing in new technologies, like artificial intelligence, to develop well-being products that address stress. PHOTO: SPH MEDIA With a wider range of offerings, the brand has been able to embrace more varied opportunities. In Taipei’s Syntrend Creative Park, Osim has a store dedicated to its products for gamers.