As Alanis Morrisette once sang, "isn't it ironic? Don't ya think?"
There may be many reasons for the demise of Toys R Us. But one reason MUST be that more Americans are shopping for toys online. On sites like Amazon.
And now this: Amazon is reportedly looking over some Toys R Us buildings.
Consider the weirdness: The appeal of Amazon - at least, in my mind - is that you can order in your pajamas from home and get an item shipped right to your door. Or you can order a gift for that special someone and ship it right to them (gift-wrapped!). But Amazon is actually INCREASING its brick and mortar presence.
Such a move would let Amazon quickly expand its brick-and-mortar presence, coming on the heels of buying Whole Foods Market Inc. and its more than 450 locations last year. The Seattle-based company also has opened its own line of bookstores and a convenience-store concept.
The initial reports are that Amazon wants to utilize the Toys R Us buildings to showcase its voice-activated product, Echo. That makes sense to me because I believe smart speakers are THE hot item this year. Consumers are hearing a lot about them (for example, on WHO Radio as a way of streaming the radio station) but they may be reluctant to try them without a hands-on demonstration.
But why a HUGE building for a SMALL device? The report continues:
A bigger network of stores would put inventory closer to where shoppers live, potentially enabling quick delivery to e-commerce customers. The space could also serve as a staging ground for grocery delivery from Whole Foods stores. Amazon is already planning to roll out free two-hour service to Whole Foods customers in four cities, including Dallas and Cincinnati.
And there you have it: a big space to demonstrate a "hands-on" product but also maintain the core function of Amazon's business: quick delivery.