Jeff Bezos’ Amazon plans to launch a hot new luxury fashion platform – will it be a hit?
While it is a top seller for mainstream clothing, Amazon has had less success bringing customers in to shop for more fashionable pieces
Amazon is said to be making plans to launch a luxury fashion platform, according to WWD.
Industry insiders told WWD that the new platform will work similarly to a concession in a high-end speciality store, where brands essentially operate as a miniature store within a store and either lease space or give a percentage of their sales to the larger store.
Unlike Amazon’s current shopping platform, these upscale brands will have more control over their online store: what it looks like and when items will go on sale, for example.
An official at Amazon said the company does not comment on “rumours or speculation”.
The new site could play a crucial role in bolstering Amazon’s position in fashion, an area the company has been doubling down on in recent years.
“Luxury has not been something they have been able to crack,” Doug Stephens, founder of industry website Retail Prophet, said, adding that the prevalence of counterfeit products on Amazon’s site has “tarnished” its reputation for clothing.
Still, “don’t discount their ability to upset any channel once they put their sites on it,” he said.
Other experts say the shopping experience on Amazon hasn’t lent itself to fashion shopping. While it is a top seller for basics, it has had less success bringing customers in to shop for more fashionable pieces.