By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla
Google is reportedly opening a retail store in New York City to sell Pixels, Nest products, and Fitbit wearables. Housed in its NY headquarters, the store will help consumers get up close and personal with Google products and services.
“Today, we’re announcing our plans to open Google’s first-ever physical retail store, in one of the greatest cities in the world: New York,” Google’s Jason Rosenthal writes. “The new Google Store in Chelsea will be a space where customers can experience our hardware and services in a helpful way. We’ll be opening our doors to the public in summer 2021.”
This isn't the first Google store, however, and it isn't the first one in New York, specifically. Google had a pop-up store in the trendy SoHo area a few years back, which I had a chance to visit and experience. Google has also had booths in Best Buy stores for many years and has similar kiosks in its partner mobile carrier stores.
Google's new commitment to having physical retail stores comes a year after Microsoft decided to close all its retail properties, deciding instead to sell their Surfaces and XBox products online (which makes getting expedient support for these devices a big hassle for customers who now have to do it by phone). Apple's own Apple Stores have undergone many changes, and have mostly remained closed to foot traffic during the pandemic (the company does have dame-day delivery options in certain areas, thanks to a partnership with Postmates).
Google's announcement comes at an appropriate time since New York City is returning back to life before the pandemic. There will be pent up demand by consumers wanting to go to stores and experience products first hand.
“We’ll clean all spaces multiple times a day,” Rosenthal says of its COVID plans. “The number of guests inside will be limited to ensure our customers feel safe during their shopping experience, and easy pickup options will also be available. We will continue to closely follow the guidance of the local and national authorities to adapt our health and safety procedures as needed.”
Source: Thurrot.com