Amazon's new retail store is stocked with the site's top rated items
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Amazon on Thursday is opening a new physical retail location in New York's SoHo neighborhood that blends the comfort of online reviews with the gratification of in-store shopping. Called Amazon 4-star, the store will only feature items that are rated four stars or above by Amazon's online buyers or are top sellers.
Amazon's even displaying verified customer reviews on cards next to the merchandise, and highlighting products that are new and trending in the digital realm.
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"Today, the average rating of all the products in Amazon 4-star is 4.4 stars, and collectively, the products in store have earned more than 1.8 million 5-star customer reviews," the company says.
The store will also serve as an advert for Amazon Prime, as digital price tags on the merchandise will show off the discount Prime Members receive on each item. Naturally, Amazon is making it so customers who aren't already Prime members can sign up on the spot for a free 30-day trial to snag the Amazon.com price in store.
The store is also another way for Amazon to push its device lineup, which is handy considering the company just announced more than 70 new products -- a new Echo Auto, Echo Show, Echo Dot, Fire TV Recast and even a wall clock -- as it continues to put Alexa everywhere.
Amazon has been experimenting with a range of physical retail concepts in recent years. It opened Amazon Books, Amazon Go convenience stores, pick-up and return centers on college campuses, and AmazonFresh grocery pickup. The range of concepts suggests Amazon is still playing with ideas to see what works with customers in different demographics.
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