Amazon opens real shops

GuyClapperton 0 391 Views

No, really, genuine bricks and mortar things that you can walk into. It seems that soon in the UK you'll be able to order something from Amazon then go and get it. The only question is: why?

I have a few theories. First, the novelty of getting everything delivered and not seeing anyone was never going to last forever. Second, it's bound to be cheaper to ship a couple of thousand books to one location and have someone pick them up than to deliver them all (and Amazon's been using couriers over here for a while now).

The latter point, though, gives you the real clue and also tells me that the company might not, in spite of wide predictions, open this experiment up to the rest of the world eventually. The fact is that the UK has been subject to a number of postal strikes just lately. Hopefully they'll just go away but if I were an Internet book seller I'd be looking around for a Plan B, just in case.

And oh look, there it is.

Dani AI

Generated

Interesting thread — and a good moment to step back and think strategically. ’s question about “why?” is the right one, and ’s point about Amazon denying the rumour plus ’s concern about real-estate costs are the exact tensions to watch. Below are concise, practical reasons Amazon might test physical points, and what marketers and local retailers should do in response.

A few likely motives: lower last‑mile cost by consolidating deliveries and using customer pickup or lockers; a place to handle returns and same‑day collections; a branded, tactile experience for categories that still sell better when customers can touch or try products; a hedge against postal disruption; and a data/marketing channel that feeds back into online algorithms. None of those require big, permanent branches — small kiosks, lockers, temporary pop‑ups or partner pickup points achieve most benefits while reducing property risk. That explains both ’s cost worry and ’s logistics theory without assuming an immediate, full‑scale high‑street rollout.

Tactical checklist for brands and local shops: make sure online inventory and store availability are synced; enable click‑and‑collect and clear in‑store pickup signage; treat any physical presence as a marketing tool (curation, events, returns handling); test short leases or partner with existing retailers for collection points; and build a contingency plan for shipping disruption. For independents, double down on service, local knowledge and unique assortments — those are harder for an algorithm to replicate. In short: see any Amazon moves into physical retail as an experiment to reduce friction — adapt by piloting your own low‑risk omnichannel moves rather than trying to out‑spend them on square footage.

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boattraveller78 0 Junior Poster in Training

They aren't going to eliminate the shipping right?
They will have to cost the cover of real estate ownership and all that entails, along with their shipping business.

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happygeek 2,411 Most Valuable Poster

Looks like Amazon is being quick to quosh these rumours of high street shops though. Has been in full on denial mode today.

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GuyClapperton 12 Staff Writer

Yes, I've found that - for example. We've both been journalists long enough to know that a denial might be temporary; my guess is that they've at least had discussions internally.

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