While Macy’s might not have the sales numbers to back it up, the retailer has been on the forefront of experimental designs for in-store layouts that draw in new customers. Now, Macy’s has a tenant it thinks can supercharge its millennial-focused offerings.
Etsy announced Thursday (Jan. 28) that it had officially opened its first-ever Etsy Shop, a brick-and-mortar pop-up shop located within Macy’s flagship Herald Square location in New York City. Filled with handmade goods straight from some of Etsy’s most popular merchants, the store will be refreshed with new products every six to eight weeks — a model that Macy’s Executive Vice President and General Merchandise Manager of Accessories/Central Core Marc Mastronardi thinks can strike the right chord with millennial shoppers.
“For designers to showcase their products to a locally and globally diverse customer base in the exciting, selling environment of Herald Square is an incredible opportunity for both wholesalers and customers,” Mastronardi said in a statement. “The new Etsy Shop at Macy’s Herald Square is a unique collaboration that enhances the in-store shopping experience for our customers.”
The Etsy enclave is actually located in the basement of the Herald Square store as part of Macy’s “One Below” concept — a redesign of some of its stores to more adroitly cater to millennial aesthetics. Everything from product displays to additional services, like hair dry and makeup bars, was thrown into the One Below concept, and now, Macy’s has a recognizable brand in Etsy to anchor its millennial-centric strategies going forward.
What does Etsy get out of the deal? Exposure. Macy’s flagship storefront isn’t any old storefront but a tourist destination in and of itself. Macy’s claims that it receives 20 million shoppers each year, which is a difficult number for Etsy to pass up as it continues to resist the slow, steady advance of Amazon on its territory.
