To provide a new shopping experience for wireless products, AT&T is opening a new 3,000-square-foot concept store in Seattle. The store, which is scheduled to open on Saturday (Sept. 29), is intended to be “part retail store, part coffeehouse and part hangout space,” the company said in an announcement.
“The Lounge is more about an experience than it is about retail,” Jeff Bradley, West Region president at AT&T, said in the announcement. “It’s a collection of services unlike anything else in our industry — it’s designed to change the way we engage with consumers.”
In terms of retail, customers will be able to shop from a large 4K screen or from their personal devices. They then will be able to use secure lockers located in-store to pick up their purchases. The store will also have an app to let customers order and pay for coffee and food within the space.
AT&T recently launched a new product, the LTE-M button, which allows users to place orders online in one click. According to Engadget, the service is designed for businesses. While it’s not pre-programmed like Amazon’s Dash buttons, companies can program it to accomplish tasks that fit their needs.
Pushing the LTE-M button can trigger a variety of actions: Customers can give instant feedback at hotel conference rooms, airports and sports venues, mobile suppliers can place orders from anywhere, products can be delivered to customers’ front doors at the touch of a button, automatic alerts can be sent from buttons attached to connected trash cans or oil storage containers when it’s time for a pickup and seniors can have access to a “virtual concierge” to check in with caregivers on health status and to call for medication.
The LTE-M button is similar to Amazon Dash, and it is powered by Amazon Web Services. But since it’s connected to AT&T’s LTE-M network, the button doesn’t need a WiFi connection to work.
