The usual goal of a brick-and-mortar retail store is to get online, but recently it seems more companies are going backward from online to offline, and the Openspace store is one of them.
The Openspace store, originally an online marketplace for applications, has now opened a physical location in a strip mall in Boulder, Colorado. At the Openspace store, "app gurus" help customers discover new applications spanning different platforms, says the brand's press release. The store is even organized in a way as to allow customers to find apps that are relevant to them, through what the brand calls "collections" of apps.
And while you might think that a virtual app store like iTunes gets the job done, think again. As founder of Openspace Robert Riech points out, customers looking for specific apps or suggestions of what apps to download don't really have anywhere to turn, which is where the physical Openspace store comes in.
Real-Life App Stores
The Openspace Store is a Physical Retail Shop That Sells Apps
Trend Themes
1. Offline to Online - The trend of companies transitioning from online to offline, creating physical retail stores.
2. Personalized App Discovery - The trend of creating curated collections of apps and personalized browsing experiences for customers in physical retail stores.
3. Bridge the Gap - The trend of physical retail stores filling the need for customers seeking specific apps or app recommendations.
Industry Implications
1. Technology - The technology industry can leverage the trend of offline to online, creating physical retail stores to enhance app discovery and customer engagement.
2. Retail - The retail industry can utilize the trend of personalized app discovery to create unique and interactive in-store experiences for customers.
3. App Marketplaces - App marketplace companies can explore the trend of bridging the gap between online and offline by opening physical retail stores to enhance app discovery and provide personalized recommendations.