Amazon Might Soon Open Department Stores, So You Can Shop Offline
Image via ID 98813485 © Bigapplestock | Dreamstime.com
In June, Amazon announced it was opening a full-size Amazon Fresh grocery store with its ‘Just Walk Out’ technology. The revolutionary system allows customers to skip the checkout process by adding items directly to virtual carts, and pay by just scanning their palms or credit cards before exiting the store.
Now, the retail giant could be gearing up for a larger investment in the physical retail space, with reports saying that it could be opening several department stores in the US.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the new spaces will span approximately 30,000 square feet—much smaller than the 100,000 square feet regular department stores take up—but with the same concept of selling top consumer items.
When contacted by USA Today, Amazon refused to comment on the matter directly, saying it would not respond to rumors and speculation.
Despite that, the news isn’t at all far-fetched, considering the company has experimented with various physical retail stores including Amazon Go and the new Amazon Fresh. It has also opened physical book stores, Amazon Books, and acquired popular grocery chain Whole Foods.
Neil Saunders, Managing Director of GlobalData, said the speculation made sense, as per USA Today.
“Amazon’s latest foray into physical retail makes more sense, especially as the shops are likely to be much smaller than the larger department stores and will be in locations with good footfall rather than in failing malls,” he explained.
If all goes as planned, you could soon be picking up household favorites from a physical Amazon department store near you.
[via USA Today, cover image via ID 98813485 © Bigapplestock | Dreamstime.com]
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