Why one retail investing platform is betting on physical storefronts for traders

• Stock trading platform Moomoo is planning on opening a physical retail store in 2026.

• Located in New York City’s Herald Square, it will offer customer support and community building.

• CEO Neil McDonald believes it will offer the retail investing community something it needs.

Not since the heyday of E-Trade have investors had a physical space to stop by and get support from their trading platform, but that could soon change.

The CEO of investment and trading platform Moomoo, Neil McDonald, closely follows retail investor habits, as his platform caters to roughly 27 million traders globally.

Now he’s planning on reaching the retail community through a new initiative that he says draws from the playbook that led E-Trade to open its financial centers, public spaces that customers could stop by to learn how to navigate the platform’s trading technology.

Moomoo, which operates trading platforms in the US and in markets across Asia, is gearing up to launch the US’s first physical store for retail investors in New York City’s Herald Square in the first quarter of 2026.

At a time when many companies are using AI to automate customer service functions, McDonald said Moomoo sees an opening to take the opposite approach.

Moomoo’s brick and mortar store will feature human workers, ready to answer questions and offer guidance to Moomoo users as they navigate and explore the trading app.

Speaking with Business Insider, McDonald said he sees a physical storefront as an opportunity to increase brand trust and community engagement.

“We’re hoping to take that online community aspect and make it a localized human, person-to-person, experience for the client,” he said.

While much of the store’s personnel will provide education on Moomoo’s platform and tools, McDonald added that it will double as a space for retail investors to meet, grab coffee, and swap investment ideas.

While he acknowledged that retail investors in the US haven’t been explicitly asking for a physical store, McDonald added that this approach has worked in international markets where Moomoo has opened store fronts.

“People really appreciate the human-centric approach,” he said. “It works because investing apps become more complex as they evolve.”

In addition, the CEO highlighted that while E-Trade’s financial centers were well-liked, they served primarily as technical support facilities.

Moomoo’s staff won’t be providing financial advice, but the company is focused on taking the social investing approach that they’ve pioneered offline into the real world, creating an experience similar to what he describes as an Apple store for retail investors.

McDonald believes the in-person community aspect will be extremely valuable to retail investors.

“Trading on your own is really hard,” he noted. “Because we’re human beings, we all trade emotionally. It’s important to share ideas, to get support groups. It’s important to know that you’re not alone, and I think that’s why retail has done so well.”

As McDonald noted, some people are drawn to social media investing communities because of the support and camaraderie they provide. The power of community in retail trading first became apparent in 2021 when traders on internet forums helped spark a massive short squeeze in GameStop stock.

And since then, retail investors are increasingly moving offline and into physical spaces.

At an event Business Insider attended earlier this month, 500 traders descended on a hotel in Manhattan to rub elbows and hear their heroes like Eric Jackson and Chris Camillo talk about the market.

Meanwhile, meetup sites are chock full of groups for traders to learn from each other and feel supported in a group setting.

McDonald is focused on creating exactly that type of atmosphere in the heart of New York City. He highlighted the well-documented love among New Yorkers of sitting, drinking coffee, and chatting, adding that he thinks the cafe component will serve Moomoo’s new store well.

“We get hundreds of New Yorkers on the platform every day sharing trading ideas,” he stated. “We hope they can also come together and have that kind of social aspect within the store.”

Read the original article on Business Insider