Although Google’s hardware products are selling hot, in fact, they have always sold them only through their own online stores and third-party channels (such as telecoms and retail stores). From time to time, there are temporary offline stores in the form of pop-ups. Google was finally unwilling to do so, and announced that it would open a physical store in the Chelsea area of Manhattan in the United States this summer, adjacent to the Google Metropolitan Park, providing display and sales of Pixel, Nest, Fitbit and other products. Naturally, there will be technical support personnel. Resident.
In response to the current period of the new crown epidemic, Google also requires customers entering the store to wear masks, maintain social distance and disinfect their hands. The store will be cleaned regularly and there will be a limit on the number of people. Google said that the establishment of this store is a “natural extension” of their development in New York City, as well as an “important step” in their hardware product strategy, hoping to collect user feedback and shape the future experience.
Although it is a bit embarrassing to open a store at a time when the development of the epidemic is still uncertain, Google’s actions are not surprising. Because Apple was the first to rely on partners to provide hardware product experience, but since the 2000s, store experience has become an important element of Apple’s development. Of course, Google does not necessarily have to copy such successful examples, but the emergence of stores will definitely have a positive impact on the development of hardware products.