Amazon will open a clothing store in a Southern California mall later this year. A novelty for the online giant and a new challenge for traditional retailers already in difficulty. Amazon said the store, which will open at The Americana at Brand in Glendale, will sell women’s and men’s clothing, as well as shoes and other accessories, from various brands. The date of the inauguration has not yet been announced.
The Seattle-based firm has overtaken Walmart as the most popular clothing retailer in the United States, but according to many analysts it still has room to expand and compete with the likes of Macy’s and Nordstrom. Amazon’s line of brick-and-mortar stores for grocery, books, and essentials has not yet had a measurable impact on traditional retail.
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At 2,787 square meters, the AmazonStyle store near Los Angeles is smaller than the typical American department store. The items for sale are displayed on the shelves, and customers scan a code using the Amazon mobile application to select the desired color and size. To try on the clothes, which are in a warehouse in the back, shoppers enter a virtual queue for a dressing room that they unlock with their smartphone when ready. Inside, the dressing room is a personal space to continue shopping without having to go out. A touchscreen that allows shoppers to request other items that staff deliver to a secure locker in minutes.
The screens also suggest other items that might match the chosen one – Amazon keeps a list of every item a customer scans, so its algorithms personalize clothing recommendations. By the time they arrive in the dressing room, employees have already deposited the items requested by customers and others suggested by Amazon, but it is also possible to ask for the help of a concierge. And in the end it is possible to pay by showing the palm of your hand: the debit on your current card will be immediately authorized, using the same sophisticated biometric recognition system that Amazon adopts for its physical stores.
The brands on sale will be numerous, and popular, and naturally there will also be the lines produced by Amazon. The company secured a patent a few years ago for the construction of a fully automated factory capable of producing clothing on demand. The system includes a computer to organize orders, a fabric printer, a cutting machine, an assembly line and cameras to take pictures to ensure feedback on subsequent items. Once produced, the garments could be made immediately available on an electronic commerce system, shipped to customers or delivered to automated warehouses.
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