Tech retailer Litmus Lab is launching activations in four Myer department stores in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, where it will offer an evolving range of wearable technology, smart home, wellness and beauty, home life, games and toys and sound and audio products.
The move, announced in a media statement on Tuesday, will see Myer become a “lifestyle destination” for Australian shoppers, according to the department store’s general manager of home and entertainment, Dean Austin.
“This exciting department store first partnership will ensure Myer is the lifestyle destination for our customers,” Austin said in a statement announcing the partnership.
“We will offer our customers an endless aisle of innovation with products, many of which you can’t purchase anywhere else in Australia.”
Litmus Lab describes itself as “retail for discovery, experience and testing new lifestyle innovations”. It currently operates a flagship in Melbourne Central shopping centre, and is launching its first Myer flagship in Sydney this August. Following this, other labs will open at Myer Melbourne, Brisbane City and Chatswood.
“We can’t wait to set up our unique customer experience with the latest innovations from all over the world for Myer customers to discover, try and buy. Put simply, if you want it first, you will come to a Litmus Lab in a Myer store ,” said Litmus Lab co-founder Dene Heath in a statement.
“We pride ourselves on bringing the internet to life, and Myer customers will experience something new every time they visit a Litmus Lab.”
Myer’s partnership with Litmus Lab is the latest example of retailers’ efforts to establish a foothold in the burgeoning smart home space by helping consumers not only buy devices, but set them up too.
Beacon Lighting is rolling out a new store format with a focus on helping shoppers test and learn about smart lighting products, while Harvey Norman is reportedly working with Google on a smart home ‘store-in-store’ concept.
Officeworks is also in the mix, with its recent acquisition of Geeks 2 U potentially giving it a head start on the services side of the smart home sector.
Inside Retail asked Myer for further details about its partnership with Litmus Lab, but had not received a reply by the time of this writing.