Snapchat wants to give everyone a chance to get their hands on its video-recording sunglasses, known as Spectacles, in time for the holidays.
The visual messaging app’s parent company, Snap, has quietly opened a pop-up store in Midtown Manhattan, New York, overlooking the Apple Store. The branding outside the shop matches the bright yellow Spectacles billboards that have been spotted around Los Angeles. The storefront itself simply states “Spectacles,” without any mention of Snap or Snapchat.
The @spectacles popup overlooking the @apple store…. pic.twitter.com/OaCwFUEt1B
— Adam Besvinick (@Besvinick) November 21, 2016
Shoppers eager to buy the buzzing product that has thus far been released in limited quantities through a quirky vending machine will have to queue up early — Twitter users noted a line forming outside the store at 8 a.m. on Monday. Inside, the design of the space is minimal, with large, smartphone-shaped screens dotted along the walls and said vending machine as the central attraction.
One of the first 6 people at the @spectacles popup store in NYC *directly* across the street from the @apple store pic.twitter.com/v7ZLQJIQ3s
— Adam Besvinick (@Besvinick) November 21, 2016
Those expecting an Apple store-style retail environment may feel let down. The store doesn’t offer rows upon rows of Spectacles, with consumers still having to rely on the sole “Snapbot” vending machine to grab the wearable, which itself only stocks a limited amount.
We're checking out @Spectacles in NYC today on our Snap Story = https://t.co/YHX2D07ETw pic.twitter.com/a5EIXPpL2K
— B&H Photo Video (@bhphoto) November 21, 2016
The Spectacles pop-up store is located at 5 E. 59th St. in New York, and is open through to New Year’s Eve. The pop-up store’s opening hours are 4-10 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 6 a.m. to noon Saturday and Sunday.
Snap’s new retail push reinforces the belief that Spectacles are not being marketed as a product for techies, but rather as a fun “toy” (as CEO Evan Spiegel put it) for Snapchat fans. This strategy could largely be to avoid a consumer flop, in the vein of Google Glass, which never really generated the mass appeal that Google desired.
Pop-up stores themselves have become synonymous with musicians, such as Kanye West and Justin Bieber, looking to sell limited edition clothing. Are we to assume then that Spectacles are little more than Snap merchandise aimed at the app’s loyal fan base. Or will the sunglasses become the holiday season must-have? One thing’s for sure: You’re about to see a lot more New Yorkers wearing them.
