Amazon to open first retail store in Manhattan, offering same-day delivery to New Yorkers
Amazon's growing competition with Apple will soon expand to the retail space, as the online storefront reportedly plans to go brick-and-mortar this fall with its first-ever physical store, set to be built in across from the Empire State Building in time for the holiday shopping season.
The online retailer's midtown Manhattan location was revealed on Thursday by The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed people familiar with Amazon's plans. The anticipated Amazon Store is apparently on track to open in time for the holidays at 7 West 34th St, located inside a 12-story building.
The location will reportedly have limited inventory and will serve as a "mini-warehouse" for the company. In addition to same-day deliver, the Amazon Store will also reportedly allow New Yorkers to return and exchange products, or pick up an order they placed online.
Amazon is also said to be considering use of the space to showcase its own first-party hardware, including the Kindle line of e-readers, Kindle Fire touchscreen tablets, the Fire TV set-top box, and its new --?and apparently struggling --?Fire Phone.
It's in marketing and selling its own products that Amazon will find itself in direct competition with Apple, which currently has five hugely popular and successful locations in Manhattan: Fifth Avenue, West 14th Street, the Upper West Side, SoHo, and inside Grand Central Terminal.
Apple doesn't exclusively offer its own products either, and sells a variety of accessories, cases and other items that tie into its ecosystem of iOS and Mac devices. But the iPhone maker doesn't offer retail-to-door same-day delivery, instead shipping from its online storefront where the fastest possible turnaround is next-day delivery.
The online retailer's midtown Manhattan location was revealed on Thursday by The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed people familiar with Amazon's plans. The anticipated Amazon Store is apparently on track to open in time for the holidays at 7 West 34th St, located inside a 12-story building.
The location will reportedly have limited inventory and will serve as a "mini-warehouse" for the company. In addition to same-day deliver, the Amazon Store will also reportedly allow New Yorkers to return and exchange products, or pick up an order they placed online.
Amazon is also said to be considering use of the space to showcase its own first-party hardware, including the Kindle line of e-readers, Kindle Fire touchscreen tablets, the Fire TV set-top box, and its new --?and apparently struggling --?Fire Phone.
It's in marketing and selling its own products that Amazon will find itself in direct competition with Apple, which currently has five hugely popular and successful locations in Manhattan: Fifth Avenue, West 14th Street, the Upper West Side, SoHo, and inside Grand Central Terminal.
Apple doesn't exclusively offer its own products either, and sells a variety of accessories, cases and other items that tie into its ecosystem of iOS and Mac devices. But the iPhone maker doesn't offer retail-to-door same-day delivery, instead shipping from its online storefront where the fastest possible turnaround is next-day delivery.
Comments
Friends and I have talked about this happening for years. But as soon as Amazon does this they lose many of the advantages of being a virtual store. I can see clearly why they are doing it as they continue to be a not profitable company. At some point they will need to, you know, make some money. But a physical store presence would seem to wipe out any cost structure advantages they have as they now get the cost of a store and employees and security and loss prevention ETC. And as a brand does anyone look to Amazon as quality in any way? It will be interesting to see what happens.
I don't imagine Amazon Prime will cover the same day delivery option so I wonder how many will take advantage of that (as compared to two day). Maybe in an emergency, but I don't foresee many willing to do that on a routine basis. I guess if you get enough people doing it (routinely or not), it may end up being worthwhile.
Not sure how many people will actually visit this location. I don't foresee many caring to go to the store to checkout their first party items. Why not just do as you do now and get it delivered, check it out in your own environment, return it if you don't want it? Especially in terms of traveling around NYC (traffic, etc). Blah ... that's why I don't live in a city to begin with, because I hate all that
Could be a place to:
1. Return items - Amazon could stipulate if item is qualified to be returned at B & M location
2. Self serve on line access for customer to browse & shop - BUT secure the on line access to the Amazon site ONLY or you'll have trolls looking for porn, etc as they do in the public library's.
3. Q & A opportunities for customers.
4. Merchandise displays to the very minimum - secure & uncluttered.
5. Sell Amazon gift cards - holidays coming up.
Maybe New Yorkers will use the Amazon Store to [I] showroom [/I] stuff they are going to buy on line at 47th Street Photo, BestBuy, Target ...
Sorry. How exactly is Amazon and in particular ONE brick n mortar store competition with Apple?
Amazon is trying everything they can to boost profits. My guess is their attempt at establishing a retail presence will be a failure and the store will be closed withing 2-3 years.
Not really because Amazon now offers many of their own products- like them or not. It would save time in ordering one and then returning it. I for one am curious to try out the new Kindle Voyage before Black Frida when Amazon offers substantial discounts unlike Apple who usually only offers gift cards for future purchases.
The building will probably eventually be modified with a hole in the roof to be a launching point for their drone deliveries to the greater New York City area.
LOL!
Sooo...selling their own products and delivering them locally?
In a city the size of New York, they'll need at least one person to do the packaging.
Probably even have to be full-time.
It has all the (in)sanity of AirBnB opening its own physical hotel chain. Or Google launching a yellow pages phone book.
Amazon... the Movie!
John Peterman tried this from catalog to stores and he sucked a lot of his money out of his wallet.
All of this nonsense has gone to Bezos' head.
If they position themselves as a competitor to Walmart I can see how that could be an avenue to growing their revenue stream and very healthy profits. They certainly know what areas buy the most products and which products are most popular for an area that would be worth having in a local store.
Will my Prime Membership let me cut the line; or will there be a special line? If there is a special line will i have to get a special ID that say I am a Prime member? Do i put all my purchase in a drone so it will be at my house before i get home with the possibility that everything on the lawn will be stolen?
I wouldn't be surprised if they operate much the same way that Argos does in the UK... A (vast) catalogue operation with high street / strip mall / shopping mall outlets which are, essentially, warehouses with a very limited display section out front. You walk up to the counter or self service till, supply the / punch in the catalogue number of the item you want, check it's in stock and pay... then walk to the counter at the back of the store and wait for your number to be called and a gopher to hand you your box. It's space efficient and simple, albeit Argos only sells the smaller items this way, the sort of stuff that'll fit in the back of a car - bulky or very expensive stuff is home delivery only normally.