Google is opening its first ever physical retail store in New York this summer, letting users buy Pixel phones, Nest products, Fitbit devices, more
The KeywordJason Rosenthal
Context & Ripple Effects
Google’s move follows its 2016 Made by Google pop-up in New York, converting an experimental hardware presence into a permanent retail channel for its device portfolio. Related coverage subsequently placed the store in Chelsea and set an opening date, underscoring that the plan had moved from announcement to operation.
The store matters because Pixel, Nest, and Fitbit are sold as a connected set of Google-branded products, rather than as isolated devices encountered only through third-party retail.
First-order effects
Google gains a New York venue to sell and demonstrate Pixel, Nest, and Fitbit devices directly, while shoppers gain an in-person purchase channel for those products.
A single storefront gives Google a direct setting to merchandise Pixel, Nest, and Fitbit together, making the retail experience part of how it presents the hardware portfolio.
Third-party retailers in New York now sell alongside a Google-operated channel that can control product demonstrations and the customer handoff.
Third-order effects
If Google repeats the permanent-store model beyond New York, its hardware business becomes less dependent on temporary activations and external retail presentation.
Later coverage of a planned Tokyo location and an 11-store footprint suggests physical retail can develop into a durable distribution layer for Google hardware rather than a one-city experiment.
The trend: Google is moving from pop-up hardware marketing toward company-controlled retail locations that bundle its device categories in one customer experience.
Google is opening up their first retail store ever in New York City. I guess that means we can count on the store closing down in about 18 months or so. #googleglass #googlebuzz #googleplus #googlewave #picasa https://blog.google/...
A permanent Google Store in that sprawling NYC building certainly makes a lot of sense, @google. You DO sell a lot of products at this point ... https://blog.google/...
20 years after Apple opened its first store: “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.” https://blog.google/...
Google has dabbled with various physical retail store concepts through the years, but its “first store proper” will be opening in NYC this summer: https://blog.google/...