Macys has partnered with b8ta, the retail-as-a-service startup that originally started as a way to let people try out new tech products.
Macys has acquired a minority stake in b8ta and will use the startup to enhance The Market, an experiential-based retail concept at Macys.
By partnering with b8ta, Macys envisions being able to scale its Market concept faster, Macys president Hal Lawton said in a statement.
For b8ta, this is an additional source of revenue.At b8ta, we believe physical retail will thrive as a platform for discovering new products and brands, b8ta CEO Vibhu Norby said in a statement.
Macys was the best partner for b8ta to scale our pioneering retail-as-a-service model to a breadth of categories like apparel, beauty, home, and more.
With b8tas software platform and business model, product makers can go from solely selling online to launching their products with Macys in a few clicks.
Our platform makes it easy for makers to deploy, manage, analyze, and scale amazing offline retail experiences.Earlier this year, b8ta unveiled a Shopify-like solution for retail stores.
CalledBuilt by b8ta, the solution functions as a retail-as-a-service platform for brands that want a physical presence.b8tas software solution includes checkout, inventory, point of sale, inventory management, staff scheduling services and more.Netgearwas the first customer to launch a Built by b8ta store this June in Silicon Valleys Santana Row, and b8ta has plans to deploy additional stores for other brands in that area.In April, Norby told me there were a handful of other brands that b8ta would announce soon.
This year, b8ta expects anywhere from 10 to 15 companies to launch stores built by b8ta across cosmetics, apparel and furniture.
It seems that Macys was one of those companies.b8ta initially launched as a store that showcased products like theGi Flybike, a folding electric bicycle, andThync, a wearable for achieving mindfulness and boosting energy,into physical stores to enable customers to have real, tactile experiences with them.