Amazon, the most valuable brand in the world, strengthened (even more) with COVID-19; in 2020 it made twice as many profits as in 2019, while in the first quarter of 2021 it tripled. Now, the eCommerce giant debuts in the fashion industry with Amazon Style, a physical clothing store with virtual testers and where the purchase is high-tech.
Once again, the company founded by Jeff Bezos launches a store format that could be the futuristic model. Amazon is no stranger to the fashion sector, and that may not be anything new, since the company has always focused on retail trade. And fashion has always offered some of the most attractive margins in the retail industry.
The above has led Amazon to spend billions over the years to achieve a solid position in the sector, just in the neighboring country, has surpassed Walmart as the number one clothing retailer, the first quarter of last year, according to CNBC information. The new Amazon Style store brings Amazon's real-world campaign to clothing.
The store is a rehearsal, a 900-square-foot pilot, located in Glendale, a suburb of Los Angeles, and will have clothes for both women and men. "you'll find everything, from the $10 base to designer jeans and timeless piece for $400," Simoina Vasen, CEO of Amazon Style, told the quoted media.
He added that the goal will be to "meet all budgets and price points." The unique point of sale will attack the weaknesses found in traditional shops, such as the tester experience and disorder that can make sales floors look discouraging and disorganized.
Buyers will depend to a large extent on your smartphone to navigate the store. When entering, you will have access to "exhibition items", which are presented in a single size and color of a particular model and the consumer will need to scan a QR code to see additional sizes, colors, product ratings and other information, such as personalized recommendations for similar items.
After scanning the QR code of an article, customers can click a button in the Amazon application to add the item to a tester or send it to a collection counter. In the testers, Amazon integrated touch screens, which buyers can use to qualify items or request different styles or sizes to be delivered to their tester.
Subsequently, each item is left in a "safe closet" in the dressing room, which is unlocked after a store employee delivers the clothes. This allows customers to continue shopping without having to leave the dressing room and look for an employee, the company said. And finally the payment can be made with a palm scan.
