Wow this is definitely going to shake up the world of retail, Amazon has announced that they will open up their first store just in time for the Christmas holiday. Can we say watch out Walmart?
The Wall Street Journal Reports say the store will be located in Manhattan on 34th Street, across from the Empire State Building, and will give Amazon a way to connect with customers in the physical world.
The store would reportedly function like a mini-warehouse, with inventory for same-day delivery in New York City, and would also act as a hub for product returns, exchanges, and pickup of online orders. Sources also said that Amazon might use the space to showcase products like its new Kindle tablets, its Fire smartphone, and its TV box, Fire TV.
People familiar with the plans told The Wall Street Journal that nothing was set in stone yet, and the company may decide to ditch the idea. However, if Amazon does open the store and has a successful launch, it may open more brick-and-mortar locations in other US cities.
Amazon has experimented with pop-up shops in the past — last year, it put Kindle vending machines in malls across the country — but this would be its biggest, riskiest attempt. As The Journal points out, opening up physical locations wouldn’t be cheap: Leases, new employees, and managing inventory would all cut into the company’s already thin profit margins.