New store in New York: Google at your fingertips

Google has opened a store in New York – in the style of the tech competition. Customers should be attracted by being able to try out new products directly. Does the concept work?

“Hey Google, what time is it?” – “It’s 2:18 pm!” – Time for the “Google Nest Experience,” says Vincent, a New York student. Excited, he plunges into the bright, light-flooded store on the ground floor of the tech empire. The brick building in New York’s Chelsea district takes up an entire block. Its glass store not only reminds Vincent of certain other branches of world-famous tech brands. Google stands by it: The similarity to Apple stores is deliberately chosen.

Nice gimmicks for die-hard fans

To the small living room for the “Nest Experience” – the experience with the products of the smart Google Nest series such as speakers, but also fitness watches – the way leads past the products. A large number of salespeople in gray Google shirts are scrambling to present the Pixel Phones, Nest products and even fitness watches – and to lead the customers to the interactive rooms.

In addition to the smart home system and the room for computer games, there is the ramp for the Instagram post: customers can have their pictures taken here. In front of the luminous skyline of Manhattan, three different lenses on the Google Phones create effects. Many customers are die-hard fans. “We know everything about Google from the net. We got everything from Google. Pixel, everything. We wanted to see this here,” say two fans in the store. In the end they didn’t buy anything.

Just a copy and doomed?

Just like customer Perry. She is a little disappointed: “You could do more to set yourself apart from others.” And customer Matt also says: “I thought it was cool. However, it feels a bit like a copy of another tech store.” Many have tried that, says Columbia University retail expert Mark Cohen. The world’s first Google Store is a nice attempt – no longer: “If it’s just about product presentation, about public relations – yes, then it’s a way to show what you’ve got. But if the goal is a real store should be with the aim of selling, then it will fail. Like all the others before. ”

With the store in the Chelsea district, Google follows its competitor Apple, which has been selling its products in stores for a long time. There are 500 in 25 countries. Rival Microsoft, on the other hand, announced the closure of almost all stores last year. “Everyone tried to imitate Apple for 20 years and failed,” says Cohen. “Some at Google might say, ‘We’ve already learned from our pop-up stores.’ I would say to them: ‘Look how things have fared for Sony and the others. You should learn from that.’ “After all, Google does not generate 80 percent of its sales with products that can be exhibited.

But fans also think it’s chic: look – don’t buy. Like Ethan: “It’s a great experience to walk through all these rooms,” he says. That is the hope of the tech corporation. Soon it will be tourists from all over the world again who will be drawn to the hip district in New York – right across from the Apple Store.