The synergy between online shopping and brick-and-mortar stores is blending in the modern retail environment. The opening if the first Amazon Physical Store is just about to prove that. The largest online retailer is rumoured to open its first brick-and-mortar store just ahead of 2014’s holiday season.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Amazon will open a brick-and-mortar site right in the heart of New York. Sources of the WSJ share that the store will be located on 34th Street in Manhattan, next to Empire State Building and Macy’s flagship store. The shop will offer a limited selection of product and it is said to feature a showroom of Amazon’s electronic products, like the Kindle Fire tablets, Kindle eBook readers and the Fire Phone. In addition to that, consumers will be able to go to the company’s first physical store to pick up products they have purchased online, exchange or return orders. Most of the products that will be offered by the store will be available with same-day delivery, according to the WSJ’s sources.
But why is the company is now going traditional? The main reason behind this new strategy could be the fact that consumers still want to have a hands-on shopping experience. Also, brick-and-mortar stores dedicated only to picking up items purchased online have started to enjoy great popularity lately, since it allows buyers to get their orders faster and cheaper.
Amazon will not be the first online retailer to open a physical store. Other companies like SwimSpot, Bonobo and JustFab Inc. have already done that. Nevertheless, Amazon.com will be the largest web store to go brick-and-mortar.
There is no comment on the news yet from the company’s headquarters. However, this information does not really come out of the blue. Back in 2012, the retailer was said to be on the search for physical store space.
So, will a brick-and-mortar store be a good idea for Amazon after all. Probably, it will. The retailer is well-known all over the world and it will have no problem attracting consumers. Still, the WSJ explains that the company’s first physical store will be something like an experiment for the retailer. Sources have shared that, for now, Amazon.com has not developed a strategy for creating a chain of brick-and-mortar stores around the globe. However, if the move proves to be a success, more Amazon outlets are likely to appear around the U.S.
