Despite the fact that Google has not been able to get their act together with regards to retailing hardware in a virtual environment through the Play Store, it looks like Google is set to follow both Apple and Microsoft in trying to sell their products through their own Google branded retail outlets.
According to 9to5Google, our favourite search giant is looking to open their first flagship Google Store in the US by the time the ‘Holidays’ roll around this year. The higher-ups within Google felt that this would be a great way to get their products into consumers hands, with the imminent arrival of Google Glass being a major factor in their decision to investigate the retail space allowing them show off the product and its features to its fullest.
Google already operates their own Chrome store-within-a-store kiosks within some Best Buy stores in the US and PCWorld/Dixons in the UK as well as kiosks in major Airports. The new retail stores would feature Google trained employees who would be able to show off the features and benefits of the Nexus products as well as Google Glass and Chromebooks, with potential to sell some of the Google branded merchandise that can currently be purchased from the GoogleStore website.
I’d love to see these stores proliferate across the globe and certainly would love to see Google merchandise and Chromebooks sold in a retail environment here in Australia, it would certainly give a lot of peace of mind to potential customers who still prefer the traditional bricks and mortar style of retail to the online only Play Store model Google currently employs. Stores in Australia are most likely a fair while off as I’m sure Google would be testing the retail waters with a few keystone stores in the US first but I’d be there opening night for sure.
Let us know in the comments – Would you like to see a Google branded store in Australia? What sort of things would you like to see sold in them?
I can see this pissing off all the other android hardware manufacturers though… unless they also sell non nexus devices
Ideally they would retail everything. It the benefit that they could also be used to force manufacturers hands.. eg. if you want shelf space in our stores you must commit to 2 years of updates on any product sold in them, etc. There’s also the fact that Samsung has their own stores and Samsung is by far the biggest Android partner. Google needs to rebalance that.
I hate stores where everything is gleaming and perfect and goods are expensively laid out. That feeling that I should have worn a better shoes to go in there.
I prefer more shambolic stores, which is why I liked JB, especially in it’s earlier days before they opened up a store every 100 metres.
Just saying, if it’s an Apple Store clone, then I’m not excited.
The Android world is a jumbly complicated mess. I like it that way. It’s stores should be that way too.
massively agree!
I hate, the idea of these stores (Samsung too), but with Glass I can see the critical need to have people see and touch it, or it will never take off.
Hell yeah right next to the Apple ones, Google Glass would be top of the list (its top of mine)
Hmm, right between the Samsung and Apple Store on George St? I think the old Darrel Lea store across the road from the Apple Store is free 😉