Clothes delivered to your door within the hour, at the tap of a finger—with the help of life-size touch screens and eBay, the new Kate Spade Saturday pop-up shops are taking window shopping to a new level throughout downtown Manhattan. The brand, a more casual, less expensive offshoot of Kate Spade, is offering passers-by a mix of online and in-person shopping through its 24-hour window shops. Racked reports that from June 8 to July 7, shoppers will have 24-hour access to four NYC locations: 175 Orchard Street, 154 Spring Street, 7 West 18th Street and 30 Gansevoort Street. The bright yellow storefronts add a cheery pop to the brick buildings and concrete streets. Here’s how they work: The display storefront (top) is kept simple with samples of the items offered, and instructions are marked on the pavement in front.
In place of a door, a touch screen links the sidewalk shopper to the web. Without any staff on-site, the electronic shop is accessible at any time.
The shop currently offers around 30 products, with a new item added each week, fittingly, on Saturday. Dresses go for $100 – $170, tops for $30 – $80, pants for $110 – $120 and accessories for up to $180.
You shop and browse via the touch screen, but payment is made separately through a mobile app, Paypal Here. Items are delivered in an hour, though can be scheduled within the week. For those who love the convenience of doing away with cumbersome shopping bags, it’s a welcome change in shopping. It’s a fun experiment, but what about the cheery salespeople and the ability to try on clothes before buying? Kate Spade representatives were unable to tell us if these touch-screen shops might become a permanent fixture in NYC, so if you want to check them out, you’d better hurry! Get in touch with the author @catku.
