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Google will open its first ever physical retail store in New York’s Chelsea neighbourhood on June 17 as the tech giant looks to promote its consumer hardware products.
While Google has opened temporary “pop-up” shops earlier, the store in New York will be a permanent space.
With the new store, Google wants to provide customers a place where they can come and buy its devices and services including Pixel phones, Nest products, Fitbit wearables and Pixel books.
“We considered every immersive way people could learn about all the features of our Pixel phones and Nest products, and see how the best of Google’s software and services come to life when using them: products like Google Search, Google Assistant, Google Maps, YouTube, Stadia and many more,” Google said in a blog post.
A peek into the store
As one will approach the store, they will see physical and digital products lined on the store’s windows. The company aims to offer customers a peek into the products even before entering the store.
Near the main entrance, there’s a 17-foot-tall circular glass structure that Google calls ‘Imagination Space’. The custom interactive screens feature rotating exhibits will learn real-time translation of the speech into 24 languages simultaneously.
The store houses a light-filled space to help users experience the products. There are chairs and stools throughout the main space and in specific rooms. Google will offer an expert store team to offer repairs and troubleshoot issues on the spot.
There’s a gallery of Nest products, each individually encased in a small lit-up box which has 35 home products in full range of colours and materials.
Google has constructed rooms, which it calls Sandboxes, for product specific experiences. The company has a Nest Sandbox room for users to experience all Nest products in a simulated living room. Besides, they have a Stadia Sandbox to play games on Stadia. In the pixel sandbox, users can check out pixel’s newest camera features with a custom light installation.
The store has warm wood tones with a homey aesthetic. Google noted that it has earned a LEED platinum rating, the highest certification in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design green building rating system, for its environmental design.