Retail in New York: What’s new on the Big Apple?
3 min read
Photo by Sherzod Max
After our previous articles on the Chinese market and retail trends in South Korea, we take a tour to the other side of the globe to land in New York City.
There is a saying amongst New Yorkers that you could eat at a different restaurant in the city every day of your life, and never go to the same place twice —or, to be precise, 22.7 years—. And because this can also be applied for stores, we give you a small taste of the new and innovative retail concepts that are being served hot in New York City and that will be a must-see for the upcoming NRF week.
Shop without shopping
Can you imagine entering the store of a trendy French brand in Manhattan, and being able to walk out with your perfect weekend outfit… for free? That’s right. This retailer is offering their customers a time frame in which they will be able to borrow clothes from 5–7pm on Fridays, and they then have to be returned by 7pm on the following Monday. This is part of their expansion strategy in North America, and what better place to start than in New York?
A beauty-must
This city is all about the survival of the fittest. And because the fittest in the retail business often means the most digitally innovative, it should come as no surprise that a beauty-brand born from a blogging project opened its first flagship this November in Lower Manhattan. With “offline editors” —their version of sales assistants— ready to recommend products, and a point-of-sale system that sync online and offline purchases, this Instagrammable flagship encourages customer to generate social media content. Important to note that this is exactly the kind of strategy that reinforces upcoming brands, and therefore, shoots them success on platforms like Instagram.
When retail meets art
Because the visual appeal on stores has been taken to a whole new level, an Asian eyewear brand has landed their new flagship, with an arts-meet-retail concept, in the SoHo area. Alien-like, abstract sculptures made of metal pipes, wood, and intrincated textiles anchor their window display in an elaborate message addressing the future. Needless to say it is a feast for the eyes, and it has been anncounced that it will change every two years like it does at the label’s L.A. location. All of this is part of a larger strategy to create malleable retail spaces that offer more than just eyewear. And since the brand is valued today in $160 million, it is clear the creative efforts are paying off.
Nap-and-buy
But Insta-friendly stores to share in social media is not the only way to attract fast-pace customers in New York City. Napping in them works too. In February of this year, an online-mattress start up launched its first physical and permanent location in the NoHo area. But as the business grew as fast as $600 million in 2017, this DNVB (Digitally Native Vertical Brand) started offering all sleep-related product and announced to open over 200 stores in US territory. But don’t think about all those numbers if you have already figured out this retailer. Instead, take a power nap and try their products in store, which you can return after 100 days in case you were not satisfied with your purchase.
Still curious for more? Don’t hesitate to send us a mail at hello@retailfactory.fr. Ask us about our NRF Learning Expedition this January 2019 in New York City. Don’t miss the chance!