Dive Brief:
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Amazon earlier this week announced it is opening another 4-star store. The store, which is the first of its kind in Seattle but the 4th Amazon has ever opened, features products customers frequently buy online, including electronics, toys, games, books, home, and kitchen items, according to an Amazon blog post. Unlike its Amazon Go stores, the 4-Star store doesn't sell food.
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The 4,000-square-foot store sells items at the same prices Prime members pay when shopping online, but non-Prime members will have to pay list price for all non-Amazon items, the company said. The e-commerce giant's other 4-Star locations are in New York, California and Colorado.
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Customers can pay for goods via Amazon Pay on the company's mobile app, Amazon gift cards, Amazon Cash, Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover, per the company post. With digital price tags next to the merchandise, shoppers can view the Prime price and list price, as well as the average star rating and the number of reviews a product has received.
Dive Insight:
Amazon's latest store opening is just one of many physical stores the online retail giant has opened across the country, including its bookstores, Whole Foods stores and Amazon Go stores. The retailer has also expanded its Amazon Go stores and is currently located in Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Seattle.
Much like Amazon has tried to do with its other brick-and-mortar concepts, it appears as though the e-commerce giant is bridging the online and in-person shopping experiences through the 4-Star Store.
The company noted in its blog post that the 4-Star store items are grouped in categories like the "Most-Wished-For," "If You Like, Then You'll Love," and "Highly-Rated." Plus, shoppers can view a changing selection of products within the "Today's Deals" section. However, the 4-Star Store lacks Amazon Go's "Just Walk Out Shopping" technology.
If the company's brick-and-mortar bet is successful, it could bring in billions in revenue.