eBay to launch 'shoppable' storefront windows in NYC
The interactive storefront windows will let New Yorkers shop for and purchase items from Kate Spade from June 8 until July 7.
eBay is aiming to unite the worlds of online and offline shopping through a new experiment in New York City.
Starting this Saturday, shoppers in Manhattan will be able to select and buy products from fashion retailer Kate Spade via interactive storefront windows. Using any one of four 24-hour Windows Shops, people can pick the items they want through a touch screen, schedule a one-hour delivery to any location in the city, and then pay for the products through PayPal Here on delivery.
Buyers will be able to choose from among 30 different products available through the Kate Spade Saturday brand, with new products added each Saturday while the storefronts are open.
The four Manhattan locations housing the storefronts include 18th Street, Spring Street, Orchard Street, and Gansevoort Street. Measuring 9 feet wide by 2 feet high, the touch-screen windows themselves will appear on the front windows of closed stores.
In a blog posted today, eBay described the new venture as a one-month experiment that will run from June 8 until July 7. The company has been beta-testing the storefronts at its San Jose, Calif., headquarters for the past few months.
"With Kate Spade Saturday, we are making vertical surfaces shoppable that weren't being utilized otherwise," Steve Yankovich, vice president of Innovation and New Ventures for eBay, said in a statement. "This new exciting innovation gives consumers more choices to shop 24 hours a day with the flexibility of scheduling delivery anytime, anywhere in Manhattan."
Update, 9:15 a.m. PT: Adds statement from eBay.