Amazon this week opened a 4-star store in England: the first non-US location to offer a curated range of top-selling and trending products.
The shop, located southeast of central London in Bluewater, carries merchandise from the top categories across Amazon.co.uk—consumer electronics, toys, games, books, kitchen, home, etc.—as well as the full range of Amazon devices, including e-readers, tablets, and smart speakers.
We’ve all become well-versed in online shopping over the past two years. But as COVID restrictions ease and more customers return to in-person browsing, Amazon hopes to capitalize on its global appeal by inviting folks to test drive the latest technology and pick up or return orders in store.
Amazon’s original 4-star store appeared in New York’s SoHo neighborhood in September 2018, promising a range of high-scoring products. The chain has since expanded into 17 states, boasting 32 locations and counting.
With an eye on customer feedback and emerging trends, curators regularly update wares based on more than 3.9 million 4- and 5-star reviews. At launch, the Bluewater store stocks Mattel toys, Lego building sets, the best-selling books locally, kitchen gadgets, and “a variety of highly rated consumer electronics,” according to a company blog announcement. It also features products from small businesses across the UK, including Brighton-based Gamely Games.
Digital price tags highlight each item’s cost, average star rating, and number of customer reviews; Prime members can take advantage of exclusive perks and deals. Online purchases may be collected in-store as soon as the next day; customers have the option to return items purchased in store or online to the brick-and-mortar shop.
Though it originated as an online-only destination, Amazon has expanded its brick-and-mortar presence in recent years, often taking over where businesses that were run out of town by Amazon once were. Next up: an Amazon department store.
