DJI already had official stores in China, the UK, and elsewhere. Now the 5th Avenue store adds the USA – but can it work?
(Image credit: DJI)
America finally got its first official DJI Retail Store when the 685 Fifth Avenue – that's about halfway between the famous New York Apple store cube and Rockerfella Plaza on foot, with 5Av/53rd St the nearest MTA stop (E & F trains).
Many might be surprised that Birmingham, the second largest city in the UK (where we're all headed to The Photography Show in just a few days) was home to a DJI store before New York City, but in fairness British politicians have shown fair less hostility toward DJI so it probably shouldn't come as too much of a surprise.
There are some differences though. The Birmingham store is called a DJI | Hasselblad Flagship Store by DJI Retail UK, while the New York store's site seems to be djinyc.com – a cursory investigation suggests each is a certified store, but with some independence from DJI (separate websites). Presumably, however, a lot of that boils down to mere accounting.
Screenshot of the DJI Birmingham site (Image credit: DJI)
Not only that, but DJI made the announcement and are clearly enthusiastic about it, described the Fifth Avenue store as the "First key concept store in the United States," going on to add "From professional filmmakers and photographers to enthusiasts, DJI's innovative camera drones and handheld products have become industry standards. We continue to see growing consumer demand throughout North America as we expand our consumer product portfolio," said Christina Zhang, Senior Director of Corporate Strategy at DJI. "With the opening of our Fifth Avenue concept store, we're creating a space for our customers to learn, discover and shop."
Of course they don't say it, but the mention of customer demand is interesting – DJI now have a lot resting on creatives in the US market especially as more and more ominous legislation is threatened by anti-Chinese politicians, like the Countering CCP Drones Act currently in the House of Reps.
All the more reason that the new New York store (and in fairness also the Birmingham one) definitely seem to have a lot in common with a well-known computer store that also targets creatives, with aluminum composite and white oak wood finishes abounding.
DJI are also keen to point out that customers to the new store can take advantage of drop-off and pick-up service for hardware repairs with a fast 48-hour turnaround time, and a 60-day no-questions-asked return policy for all purchases.
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New Yorkers can now visit the open concept store at 685 Fifth Avenue (between E 54th Street and E 53rd Street) 10 am to 8 pm every day except Monday which has a slightly shorter 11 am to 7 pm. (The Birmingham store is on the corner of Corporation St and New St and opens until 6 pm or 7 pm on Fri/Sat).
With over 20 years of expertise as a tech journalist, Adam brings a wealth of knowledge across a vast number of product categories, including timelapse cameras, home security cameras, NVR cameras, photography books, webcams, 3D printers and 3D scanners, borescopes, radar detectors… and, above all, drones.
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