The Apple Watch will soon be offered for sale at Macy’s, the first major department store to offer the wearable, according to Fortune. Macy’s has more than 180 stores across the U.S. where customers will be able to buy the wearable ahead of the holiday shopping rush.
Macy’s hopes for better sales
Macy’s President and future CEO Jeff Gennette said the wearable will be available in all of Macy’s top buildings for the holiday season. Macy’s will not only offer the Apple Watch in many of its retail locations but will also open a dedicated Apple Store inside its flagship Herald Square location in New York where a variety of Apple products such as iPhones, MacBooks, iPads and watches will be sold, notes Fortune.
Macy’s is having a hard time as comparable sales have fallen for six straight quarters. The retailer desperately wishes to end this trend, and the deal with Apple will hopefully help it achieve that. Earlier this year, the company had to shut down 40 stores, and last month, it announced plans to close 100 more in early 2017. It will be then left with 650 or fewer locations, notes Fortune.
Gennette told Fortune in a previous interview that in their store sales strategy, outside retailers will be front and center. Macy’s introduced The Finish Line stores to its locations a few years ago, which was hugely successful, especially because the retailer hadn’t been “credible in the athletic footwear arena.” Also Macy’s offerings in electronics received help from Best Buy boutiques, says Fortune.
Apple Watch – a popular wearable
The Apple Watch made its debut in April 2015, and since then, many major third-party retailers around the world are selling it, such as Best Buy, Target, B&H Photo and Walmart. This makes it easy for customers to walk into any local brick and mortar store to buy Apple’s wearable devices.
Retailers like Best Buy and Target offered steep holiday discounts last year on Apple’s wearable, helping to spur its popularity. Sales numbers are never disclosed by the company, but it is reportedly the most popular smartwatch on the market, notes MacRumors.
Apple introduced its second-generation watch, the Apple Watch Series 2, this week; it comes with a massive improvement over the original. The device features a much faster S2 processor, a brighter display, a GPS chip and improved waterproofing as well, thereby addressing two major issues with the earlier watch.
