b8ta SmartSpots Bring Much-needed Innovation to Lowe’s Stores

We’ve highlighted some of retail’s failings in the technology space, but one of the shining lights challenging retail these days is b8ta. Founded with the intention of connecting product makers with consumers through a model that turns the business of retail on its side, b8ta offers what others have failed to deliver: an engaging, hands-on, out-of-box experience with products—real products…not just hollow plastic mockups. It’s been nearly a year since the founders, four alumni from Nest, launched b8ta as a small shop in Palo Alto. Now they’re expanding that vision to two additional cities with new store locations coming soon to L.A. and Seattle. And if you’re in California, you may also be lucky enough to find a local Lowe’s with a new SmartSpot “powered by b8ta.” Through a new partnership with b8ta, Lowe’s has introduced this store-within-a-store at three Lowe’s locations: Livermore, Burbank, and Aliso Viejo. Unlike Lowe’s connected home section, which features placeholder cards and product mock-ups glued to display shelves, the SmartSpot brings retails b8ta’s hands-on sensibilities to the floor, complete with real products out on tables with information presented on accompanying tablets. In Livermore, the SmartSpot section features LED lighting and wood flooring over about 400 square feet of the retailer’s space. It’s unknown whether Lowe’s intends to extend this partnership with b8ta to the rest of its retail locations, but one thing is certain: this is a vast improvement over Lowe’s otherwise disjointed and often disorganized approach to selling connected home technology. If you’re near one of these SmartSpot locations, check it out and let us know what you think. Source: lowes.com