Samsung Germany launches subscription service with Grover

Berlin/Schwalbach a. Ts., 10.12.2020 – Samsung Electronics GmbH and Grover today announce a partnership to bring monthly tech subscriptions to Samsung customers. Select smartphones from Samsung’s Galaxy S20 range can now be rented with Grover directly through Samsung Germany’s online shop. The new rental service is an alternative to the purchasing and financing options currently available in the Samsung online store, and supplements existing value-added services such as the Upgrade program. It is based on the Product-as-a-Service concept, which appeals primarily to customers who prefer usage-based access to technology over product ownership. The rental service is delivered by Berlin-based tech subscription company Grover, whose rental option has been integrated into Samsung Germany’s online shop in the form of a new service functionality.

The new rental service ties in with the rapid development of the so-called “subscription economy” in recent years. At the heart of the subscription economy lies the Product-as-a-Service concept, which highlights the services or outcomes a product can provide rather than the product itself. Instead of buying them, customers pay a monthly fee to subscribe to products throughout a certain usage period.

The rental service, delivered by Grover, falls between payment option and value-added service. It complements Samsung’s existing services – Trade-In, Samsung Care+, and the Upgrade program – which offer Samsung customers additional product access and upgrade options that go beyond a standard purchase.

“Our customers increasingly want maximum flexibility and tailored access options,” says Gerrit Povel, Head of Direct to Consumer Division at Samsung Electronics. “With the new rental service, we expand our existing service portfolio to increase service excellence. We’re creating an additional option for our customers to use Samsung products based on their individual needs, whether those are long or short term. As a tech rental specialist and the market leader in consumer electronics subscriptions, Grover is the perfect partner for us to roll out a subscription option with, enabling us to offer it to Samsung customers as a one-stop service.”

Michael Cassau, Founder and CEO of Grover, adds: “Over the past couple of years, Grover has proven itself a successful rental subscription partner to Europe’s leading electronics retailers. Now I am happy to welcome Samsung Germany as the first brand manufacturer to partner with Grover. It’s great to see Samsung take this step toward offering its customers flexible access options that can be tailored to individual usage and life situations, and to be pioneering this space together. The seamless technical integration of Grover’s rental option in Samsung’s online shop really demonstrates the adaptability of our plug-and-play rental solution for partners.”

Information about the rental service can be found on a dedicated page in Samsung’s online shop. The subscription product portfolio starts out with select smartphones from Samsung’s Galaxy S20 series and is to be gradually expanded to other product categories.

After the product model, color, connectivity, and storage capacity have been selected in the Samsung Germany online shop, a “rent” option is displayed as a service option to customers. Once a customer has selected the rental service, they click “next” and are redirected to a Grover-own checkout “Samsung powered by Grover”, where they select a rental plan (1, 3, 6, or 12 months) and a payment method (credit card or PayPal).

The rental contract is made between the customer and Grover, and does not require a deposit or paperwork. Included in the monthly rental fee is Grover's signature damage coverage, Grover Care, which covers 90% of the repair or replacement costs for damages of any kind. At the end of a rental, customers have the option of extending their rental, returning their product to Grover, or purchasing it.