b8ta → Bidding For Shelf Space
On Friday I went to the opening of Hudson Yards and chanced upon a new retail shop called b8ta.
The curiously-elided, number-letter logo above the shopfront caught my attention. So I had a look in.
b8ta's concept is unique, though the source influences are apparent.
It reminded me of a brand-neutral Apple Store.
Nicer than a Kickstarter flea market.
Small echoes of The Sharper Image in the dark wood paneling.
A little Google in there too, because to show products, sellers effectively bid for shelf space.
Those associations aside, the open-retail concept conveys a contemporary and original vibe.
Later I read up on b8ta and here is how THEY describe it:
We build stores that let people experience products the way their makers intended. Every detail of our model, from our software platform to our expert retail team, serves to open pathways to discovery and purchase. When we remove barriers for both brands and customers, we make retail as easy and enlightening as from a phone or computer. And even a bit more enjoyable too.
b8ta brings to mind an early e-commerce consumer behavior called “show rooming” in which people shopped in the real world to see and touch products, but bought online for convenience and value. Physical-store retailers frowned on show rooming because they bore the overheads, but often didn't get the sales.
b8ta appears to solve for this by connecting shopping and buying more seamlessly.
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