Product Hub January 21, 2022
Amazon to Open First Physical Clothing Store
Amazon Style, set to open later this year in Los Angeles, will incorporate QR codes, machine learning and other technology into a brick-and-mortar location.
Amazon plans to put a high-tech spin on clothes shopping. The e-commerce giant plans to open a 30,000-square-foot brick-and-mortar store that incorporates QR codes, a touchscreen in the fitting room and a palm-scanning checkout.
Amazon Style, announced in a blog post on Thursday, Jan. 20, is meant to offer “a personalized, convenient shopping experience where Amazon’s technology and operations make it easy for customers to find styles they love at great prices.” The clothing store is expected to open later this year at The Americana at Brand, a shopping mall in greater Los Angeles.
The store will feature a wide selection of items, but instead of customers having to sift through sizes and colors on the rack, the showroom will feature display items with QR codes. Shoppers can scan the item they’re interested in to see available sizes, colors and other product details. With the tap of a button, they can send the item to the fitting room or directly to the pickup counter.
Amazon will also use machine learning algorithms to produce tailored, real-time recommendations for customers. “As customers browse the store and scan items that catch their eye, we’ll recommend picks just for them,” according to the blog post. The company is touting it as a way to bring “personal styling” to the masses.
The company is also bringing technology to the fitting room, transforming it into what it calls “a personalized space where customers can continue to shop a seemingly endless closet of great styles.” Any items requested while shopping will be waiting in the fitting room for shoppers, along with additional options based on their preferences. A touchscreen on the wall will allow them to continue shopping without having to leave the fitting room. They can rate items there or request more styles and sizes to be delivered to the fitting room closet. Amazon notes that it’s using the “advanced technologies and processes” developed in its fulfillment centers to enable the quick delivery of new garments to each fitting room.
Amazon’s concept is an attempt to marry the best of shopping in-store with the benefits of e-commerce. For instance, shoppers can shop for apparel on the website and request delivery to Amazon Style, where they can try the items on and easily return it in the store if they don’t like it. At the checkout counter, shoppers can use Amazon One, the company’s palm recognition service, to pay quickly and easily.
Though e-commerce continues to grow rapidly, in-store shopping still makes up the bulk of purchases – around 85% of sales. For promotional products pros, Amazon’s push into traditional retail spaces shows the importance of physical samples and showrooms in the buying process. But it’s also a lesson in how technology is changing the shopping experience and how the physical and digital worlds are merging.
This isn’t Amazon’s first foray into traditional retail. The company opened its first physical store, Amazon Books, in Seattle in 2015. A few years later, it purchased Whole Foods. The company also has 4-Star stores to sell its highest-rated items and Amazon Go convenience stores. In addition to Whole Foods, the company has pushed into the mid-tier grocery market with its Amazon Fresh stores.
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