KPN opens first GenZ store with no personnel

Last week, the Dutch telecom operator KPN opened a physical store in Den Helder without any staff members to see if this is the way customers want to shop.

‘Digital first, human-assisted' is the formula of KPN’s brand-new store, which opened last Friday in Den Helder. If you need a new smartphone subscription, wish to extend your current plan, or want to exchange KPN equipment in case of a defect, you’re in the right place.

When you enter the store, you won’t find any employees to help you out. Instead, customers can take care of their own business with help from a remote employee.

“Customers often come to the store very specifically after having already oriented themselves online. Or they have already been helped online and then only have to pick up their new modem, then the customer can immediately be provided with new equipment in the new store,” Jörg Kramer, Chief Customer & Commercial Operations at KPN, says in a statement.

He emphasizes that the new store is a seamless addition to the digital shopping experience and is fully equipped to meet the wishes of the future shopping generation.

This store concept originated in Estonia, and marketing experts say it’s successful because customers can choose how they want to be helped.

“Customers can be helped very specifically, thanks to a KPN employee at a distance. At the same time, we find it very important to be able to offer a listening ear if the customer wants that. So we will certainly continue to do that in the vicinity and tailor it to our customers,” Kramer adds.

However, this doesn’t mean KPN is going to say goodbye to its current employees. The new store in Den Helder is a trial to gain experience in how customers want to be helped. An employee will be present at the shop in the first few weeks to help and show customers around. The insights KPN collects will be the basis for adapting the shopping experience to the customers’ wishes.

KPN is one of the largest telecom operators in the Netherlands. In 2023, the company had revenue of € 5.4 billion and a profit of € 844 million. KPN currently has approximately 100 stores in the Netherlands.