Amazon already has a brick and mortar bookstore in Seattle with three more coming to San Diego, Portland, Oregon, and Chicago. But this is different. The bookstores are conventional storefront outlets. The Amazon Pop-Ups, however, are usually located within shopping centers.
In the retail world, the term “pop-ups” refers to open-air stores in malls. They typically have short leases with frequent turnover. Amazon made the generic term part of its brand name for the mini-markets, which usually cover from 300 to 500 square feet.
Currently, there are 22 Amazon Pop-Ups in 12 states that give customers the chance to try and ask questions about Amazon devices. You can check for store locations here. According to Business Insider, Amazon expects to have 30 Pop-Up stores by the end of 2016 and as many as 100 by next year.
When you visit an Amazon Pop-Up you can get advice and setup help from Amazon experts in the store. You can try out all the Kindles and Fire tablets, check out Echo and talk to Alexa, get a handle on what Fire TV is all about, and even pick up Dash Buttons. You may find other brand devices and accessories such as cell phones and headsets, but the focus is on, and most of the stock consists of, Amazon’s own devices.
After you try out the various devices and sizes to see which work for you, you can buy devices and accessories on the spot. Prices in the Pop-Ups will always be the same as online prices, including deals and specials.
The Pop-up stores exist to spread brand awareness and to let people get hands-on experience with Amazon devices. The expectation is the stores will drive sales online as well as at the stores. “We offer pop-up kiosks so that customers can try out all our new devices and learn about our services like Prime and unique content like Amazon Originals,” Amazon told Business Insider.
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