At a time when brick and mortar stores seem to be dying out, Nike has invested in its so-called ‘House of Innovation 000‘ a 68,000 square foot 5th avenue store which spans six floors. This is not a simple retail store, according to Nike it is a ‘concept’ store, an opportunity for Nike to interact directly with their consumer and dissolve the boundary that exists in online shopping.

The store is packed with both traditional and modern shopping experiences and at its very core functions to ensure convenience for customers. The store allows shopping via the Nike app which recognizes when you’re in the store and allows you to add items to a fitting room, notifying you when they are ready.

The store is built with the idea that customers don’t need to interact with the employees and can instead shop and check out digitally.

In the area of customer experience, Nike has put a large focus on customisation, with consumers able to create totally unique products through Nike’s Sneaker Bar. The new flagship holds the largest collection of for-sale Nike sneakers ever stocked in a store.

Another floor is dedicated entirely to services for Nike Plus, the sports retailer’s free membership program. Nike Plus allows free courier delivery for purchases at the new store, free shipping and includes access to in-demand shoes.

Nike’s flagship store didn’t forget to think local either. The bottom floor of the store is what Nike calls the ‘Speed Shop’, which has its own entrance on 52nd Street and allows those in a rush to purchase items speedily and efficiently because your not a true New Yorker unless you are in a rush.

“For someone that might need to just stop in to pick up a new running shoe — be in and out or stop at lunch hour — we have that space,” said Heidi O’Neill, President of Nike Direct. “That was the insight: to take the neighbourhood experience of Melrose and make sure this store wasn’t just for the globe. It was for New Yorkers.”

“What I see in this store, and I hope you do too, is the most experiential and immersive expression of the Nike brand,” said O’Neill, during an interview at the store. “It’s not just about a moment to come into a store and transact. I hope that when consumers come in the store they actually feel the Nike brand, that they feel the values of the Nike brand.”

The opening of this store seeks to reinforce Nike’s position that brick and mortar is not dead as long as they can give consumers a reason to go into a store. Nike has found the perfect intersection between the convenience of online shopping and the creative innovative shopping experience consumers want.