- elEconomista.es
Amazon advances in its plan to conquer all dimensions of commerce and enter new sectors. Now, the retail giant wants to open physical stores where it sells its own clothing brands , thus boosting its recognition among the general public and reducing the number of returns.
The first stores, which would be near San Francisco and Columbus (Ohio), could open their doors next year, although at the moment it is all speculation.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Amazon is committed to technology as an essential part of the shopping experience in its physical stores. Among the ideas that have been considered, is that customers scan the QR code of the garments they want to try on through an app and the employees are the ones who take these items to the fitting rooms . These, in turn, will be equipped with a touch screen with which the customer can order more clothes or see recommendations based on their selection. In the future, employees could be replaced by robots.
It is not the first time that the retail giant has opted for technology in its stores, as in the case of its Amazon Go cashierless stores, where the items that customers take from the shelves are registered and they are charged through an app when leaving the establishment. A technology that Amazon already sells to other retailers.
Fashion tends to have higher profit margins than other items and Amazon knows this, which is why it has focused on increasing its clothing sales. In just five years, it has grown from one brand to more than 100 and has become the largest clothing retailer in the United States , ahead of Walmart, according to a Wells Fargo report. However, the luxury fashion segment is still resisting.
The new American department store?
While some of the most emblematic department stores in the United States, such as Sears, close stores, Amazon plans to open its own superstore .
In its department stores, the retail giant will prioritize the sale of household items, electrical devices, the aforementioned clothing lines and much more, from its own brands . However, it will also sell products from the main brands in these segments.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Amazon's department stores will have a smaller area than usual for this type of establishment, almost 3,000 m² .
Amazon opened its first physical store, a bookstore in Seattle, in 2015. Today, the retail giant has more than 20 bookstores spread across the United States, as many 4-star stores - where it sells electronics and kitchen products - and several Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh.
