Best Buy opens mini ‘digital-first’ store; 7-foot display will tell you how to shop

Best Buy logo seen displayed on a smartphone screen. (Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) MONROE, N.C. - Best Buy has opened its first "small-format, digital-first" store in North Carolina at less than 15% the size of its typical retail space.According to the retail giant, the Monroe, North Carolina, store is 5,000-square feet and tests a "digital-first shopping experience that encourages customers to do everything from shop, select your product and get advice digitally while in the store." Best Buy stores are usually between 35,000 and 40,000 square feet.The store will carry large TVs, but won’t carry major appliances or other large items.

Customers can buy those online and pick them up at the store.According to Best Buy, when shoppers enter the store, they’ll see a 7-foot-tall digital display that explains how to shop inside.

Here’s how the new store differs from Best Buy’s traditional model:For less tech-savvy customers, they can still ask Best Buy "blue shirts" for help like they would in any other store.Best Buy is testing out a new membership program, called Best Buy Beta.Best Buy is among several major retailers, including Walmart and Target, whose earnings have taken a hit from inflation.RELATED: Best Buy will pick up and recycle your old appliances - for a priceFirst-quarter results posted in May showed shoppers pulled back on spending, while higher costs ate into profits.The nation’s largest consumer electronics chain also cut its annual outlook, noting a deteriorating macro economic environment.Best Buy, like other retailers, is also adjusting to changing shopping behavior.