Best Buy is Opening a Small Digital-First Store! Here’s What to Expect

Buy Best is set to open a tiny-digital first store as it tests out this new retail format near Charlotte, North Carolina.

The new digital-first store stays away from the typical "big box" retail shops of Best Buy.

(Photo : Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
People walk by a Best Buy store on August 20, 2013 in New York City.

Best Buy is Opening a Small Digital-First Store

As per a news story by The Verge, the giant retailer is testing out a new retail store format, which flaunts a smaller space than its typical locations.

In fact, the online news outlet notes that the new digital-first location of Best Buy only takes up to 5,000-square-foot.

For context, the usual retail shops of Best Buy in the United States span from 35,000 to 40,000-square-foot. So it appears that the new digital-first format is only 15 percent of the size of its typical stores.

The Verge further adds in its report that it is even smaller than most Apple Stores in the US, which only takes roughly 6,000 to 8,5000 square feet on average.

How Did Best Buy Make it So Small?

It turns out that this new digital-first store of Best Buy only provides its visitors with the "curated selection" of the giant retailer.

It specifically includes various tech merchandise, such as smartphones, computers, LED TVs, smartwatches, wireless earbuds, and more.

However, it leaves out large appliances like washing machines, which fill up its bigger stores, to keep the space impressively small.

But Best Buy says that its tiny retail format still carries small appliances.

Best Buy Digital-First Store

According to a recent report by GSM Arena, the digital-first store of Best Buy requires its customers to scan the QR code of the product they wish to buy using their smartphones. And from there, they could conveniently pay for it.

It is worth noting that the items on the shelves are merely displays like how the Cupertino-based tech giant showcases the iPhones and Macs in its Apple Stores.

So upon scanning and paying via QR code, the employees of the digital-first store get notified of the orders, which they will get from the stockroom to hand it over to their customers.

But the process is pretty straightforward for smaller items like charging cables as customers could readily check them out using their mobile devices.

However, the digital-first store still caters to folks who prefer to shop the traditional way. The new format still has Best Buy employees ready to help their customers with their purchases.

The new small digital-first Best Buy format store opens its doors to customers on July 26 in Monroe, North Carolina.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Teejay Boris