It seems these are more after-purchase services. When I’m in LA next I plan a visit as the entire concept seems odd. Why would someone “pre-buy” a product and wait for its retrieval? Why not just go to the Grove and browse with a personal shopper? How does this scale to make financial sense for the investment in employee time, real estate, etc.? But (like Amazon often does) Nordstrom owns the “retail buzz” for the day which may be worth more than the actual facility.

I love this idea. Putting experience at the heart of retail is the first building block to success.

We need more details to see if this is going to work out. Will they have a way for consumers to order right away? How quickly will it get delivered? And will the experience continue to evolve or will it be a canned experience every time?

The simplicity of this concept is exciting.

I predict it will become a series on Netflix — “Real Shoppers of Nordstrom: LA Edition.” But seriously, I do think it may work as it sounds like a social thing that is fun and will save time. The challenge will be knowing the customer well enough to have the right inventory available to try on in the first place. Right item, right place, right time, etc. It seems like the same logistical problems will make or break this concept.

I expect that the concept will only work with an assortment of the highest-priced/highest gross-margin products. I don’t foresee too many of these locations opening.

That Nordstrom is executing this experiment is a highly positive development for brick-and-mortar retailing. Retail stores, especially department stores and grocery stores, need to change. New designs and configurations are necessary, because, after the difficulties of the past couple of years, the stores of the past and present are not performing. This store concept addresses a number of issues, the most pertinent being the online selling aspect. This store may or may not work or be profitable, but it is a refreshing move in the right direction and may lead to something innovative that will work.

I love the concept of a personal stylist. And I applaud the effort to personally connect with customers.

However I am unsure how a lack of inventory will play with the customer. Certainly if you get fitted for clothing, it requires alterations. So I don’t see leaving the store without your purchase as a problem. But if a customer is taking the time to visit the store, I would think they would want to see all of their options.

This probably has selective appeal. I am not certain it has mass appeal.

This concept will be interesting to watch and see how consumers react.

While this is an interesting idea for Nordstrom, it will be sales that determine its success or failure. I do think the concept would be successful in a few cities, mostly those that have “Housewives of [name your city]” TV shows as a start! However it will not appeal to those who have immediate need for an item. If it lasts a year or more I would be surprised.

Success for this concept, and all the others that come after it, will be measured by purchases. It will be insightful to see if shoppers will shop today and receive products later. We live in a society that expects instant gratification but perhaps shoppers will be delighted twice — once when they make a selection and then again when they unpack the box. It’ll be exciting to see how it unfolds.

I’m skeptical about personal stylists without actual merchandise to sell — unless they retrieve items from a nearby store, causing the customer to make two trips. I like the experiential aspect of the concept, but I think it would work better if integrated into an existing store in a significant way.

Regardless of whether this works or not, kudos to Nordstrom for trying and testing new things. This approach is why it is one of the better performing department stores!

Personally, I think it does stand a chance. It is essentially a click-and-collect hub, but with a range of added value services that Nordstrom shoppers in this type of location would find valuable. It provides brand exposure, will reduce shipping costs and should drive incremental revenue.

My only criticism is that it would be sensible to stock at least some merchandise: essential beauty items, maybe a few key fashion items, etc. would all drive impulse purchasing.

We tested the idea of showroom stores like this both quantitatively and qualitatively and consumers are more than ready for them. We also know that Bonobos works (Walmart didn’t spend hundreds of millions for nothing) and that Argos in the UK has been doing it successfully for a while. To say nothing of the Apple stores, which are essentially showroom stores. So the time is here. I wish more specialty stores would attempt this idea. If you were Gap and you saw Bonobos working, wouldn’t you try to emulate them? I guess that’s another topic for another day.

Having said all that, it’s going to take a little time for something like this to hit the center of the bell curve. Patience will come in handy, and a little of the old “super associate” experience (ala Bonobos) will be the key to success.

The shopper can’t immediately get their purchase, shopper has to try on “samples” (yuck), retailer has to supplement the supply chain with stylist visiting local stores to pick up merchandise, etc. What about this concept works for either the shopper or the retailer? Nordstrom already has a great in-store experience to offer shoppers, so I’m not sure why they would want to create a knock-off experience. The savings in real estate and inventory cost don’t balance out the scale.

Fun idea. Won’t work. Why not? Because there is no instant gratification. In a bricks and mortar environment, shoppers walk away with a trophy, an object of conquest. In a digital environment, shoppers get quick dopamine rewards.

This idea — while it has merit — doesn’t seem to deliver the addict’s fix. It’s neither fish nor fowl.