Amazon has opened its first non-food store outside the United States in the UK – a 4-star Amazon branch can now be found in Greenhithe, near London.

Local selection of bestsellers

Now a surprising new store can be found in the low-key town of Greenhithe along the Thames – Amazon has opened a branch of the 4-Star concept store in the local Bluewater Mall. It is the first store of its kind outside the United States, where there are already more than thirty branches of the concept.

The stores are a kind of physical showroom for the platform’s star products. The selected range consists of 2000 products, all of which received at least four stars as a rating from customers on the website. Your selection of the most popular and top-rated products includes books, consumer electronics, toys, games, and household items, but you also need to be constantly on the move.

The offering varies based on popularity and local shopper preferences and is a reflection of what Amazon shoppers buy online. For example, there is a “Most Wanted” section, which shows the most popular products on customer wish lists, a section with the most popular gifts, and the most wanted products (trends) in the area.

A store for e-commerce

The store we also have a large technology department with Amazon devices like Kindle e-readers, Fire tablets, and Echo Dots. According to Natalie Berg, author of a book about the e-commerce giant, that’s one of the main functions of the retail formula: not necessarily selling more products, but attracting consumers to the Amazon ecosystem.

“It’s about connecting shoppers with Amazon devices, reminding Prime customers of the value of their membership and offering additional options when picking up and returning orders online,” the retail expert told the BBC. Physical stores, paradoxically, want especially encourage online shopping.

The retailer does not yet say how many such stores will arrive in the UK. However, the fact that Andy Jones has appointed a “UK 4-Star Amazon Director” suggests that he is not just one. However, Berg is still not convinced of success – she finds the 4-star stores rather messy and uninspired, so it remains to be seen what British consumers think.