Macy’s unveils millennial wonderland
One Below an experiment in catering to younger shoppers
Selfie walls! Wearables! 3D printers!
The newly renovated basement at Macy’s massive flagship store in New York City’s Herald Square is full of millennial buzzwords. It’s called One Below, and the department store wants it to be a destination for young shoppers.
One Below is part of a $400-million (U.S.) renovation at the Macy’s flagship location and is an interesting experiment. Instead of being segmented by types of merchandise, such as the store’s shoe floor or home goods section, the new area mixes all kinds of products for the 13- to 22year-old crowd.
It’s essentially its own 53,000square-foot store filled with technology, apparel, accessories, cosmetics, food and a soundtrack of house music. It’s larger than every Macy’s Backstage outlet store in the U.S.
Macy’s has never had an issue attracting shoppers over 30, but since 2012 it has been actively trying to lure younger people. One Below will be a test to see what resonates with young people, said Macy’s chief merchandising officer, Tim Baxter.
While it’s logistically impossible to roll out such big spaces for millennials nationally, Macy’s plans to take pieces from One Below and use them in its many mall stores.
Fashion labels such as Material Girl, Roxy and XOXO are found in the apparel area, which is anchored by a large display of clothes from American Rag, an exclusive label.
There’s plenty of fancy new tech, and customization is a theme throughout.
Oliver Chen, an analyst at Cowen & Co., wrote in a note to clients that although the moves don’t add a lot of sales, they re encouraging signs.
“We like the focus to diversify the business, expand the service offering and, perhaps most importantly, increase brand awareness with millennials,” wrote Chen.