October 10, 2014 at 11:54Amazon opens the first physical store in New York
In anticipation of the Christmas season, the e-commerce giant is starting an unequal battle in New York with leading offline retailers, writes the Wall Street Journal.
Amazon’s latest experiment with physical objects - huge smart lockers for receiving parcels.
The retail area, which is supposed to open opposite the Empire State Building, will be used as a warehouse and store, anonymous but reliable sources told the publication, stressing that the company is considering its first physical retail outlet primarily as an "experiment".
It is estimated that customers will be able to order goods online in the morning and pick them up at the store in the evening. Also, in the store you can make an exchange and return of goods.
A physical store will allow Amazon to expand its market position through traditional retail. Although the Seattle company has long surpassed retail in terms of speed of delivery and service, it still has never tried to open a store in the usual sense of the word - with reference to a specific location, shop windows, shelves and cash registers.
And while online sales are growing steadily, most retail purchases are still being made in physical stores. Being able to get the order yourself on the same day always gave Amazon competitors some head start. In addition, the physical location allows customers to touch the product, test it, which is an indispensable experience in the context of the sale of a certain group of products, for example, consumer electronics.
Meanwhile, Amazon has not confirmed or denied this message.
"We have not made any statements about the outlet in Manhattan," Amazon spokeswoman Kelly Cheesman told CNET.
Amazon’s latest experiment with physical objects - huge smart lockers for receiving parcels.
The retail area, which is supposed to open opposite the Empire State Building, will be used as a warehouse and store, anonymous but reliable sources told the publication, stressing that the company is considering its first physical retail outlet primarily as an "experiment".
It is estimated that customers will be able to order goods online in the morning and pick them up at the store in the evening. Also, in the store you can make an exchange and return of goods.
A physical store will allow Amazon to expand its market position through traditional retail. Although the Seattle company has long surpassed retail in terms of speed of delivery and service, it still has never tried to open a store in the usual sense of the word - with reference to a specific location, shop windows, shelves and cash registers.
And while online sales are growing steadily, most retail purchases are still being made in physical stores. Being able to get the order yourself on the same day always gave Amazon competitors some head start. In addition, the physical location allows customers to touch the product, test it, which is an indispensable experience in the context of the sale of a certain group of products, for example, consumer electronics.
Meanwhile, Amazon has not confirmed or denied this message.
"We have not made any statements about the outlet in Manhattan," Amazon spokeswoman Kelly Cheesman told CNET.