You can practically buy anything from Amazon these days. From groceries to books to gardening supplies, the e-commerce giant seems to have our needs covered. However, there’s one category of product that’s notably absent from its selections.
Wooing Luxury Brands
It’s no secret that the Jeff Bezos-led company has had its sights set on the $300 billion market for luxury goods for a while. However, it’s been unable to secure a working relationship with major game players in the high-end fashion scene in the past.
Amazon has finally made a breakthrough in this endeavor. The company is reportedly in talks with the Council of Fashion Designers of America and Vogue magazine to open up a store for independent designers like Batsheva and Philip Lim to sell their products on Amazon.
And perhaps to sweeten the deal, the e-commerce giant also donated half a million dollars to help designers affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
This is certainly a generous move on Bezos’s part but experts say that it’s probably not a gesture based on just altruism. In fact, they look at these recent moves as a way for Amazon to gain credibility in the world of fashion.
Unconquered Frontier
While you can definitely shop for a great variety of clothes on Amazon, it isn’t a go-to place for people to buy fashionable products. Nextail CEO Joaquin Villalba attributes this problem to the rather dry fashion shopping experience that the site offers.
It’s aware of this drawback though and has been trying to shake off this image. Part of its efforts to do so is the acquisition of trendy companies as well as the introduction of new brands on the website.
Necessary Changes
There’s also the fact that brands want their products to look a certain way when they’re displayed on Amazon. Experts say that the website should focus on creating luxury-focused storefronts to address this.
If done right, Amazon may even be able to attract big brands like Prada, Dior, and Chanel to come aboard. Luckily, its current partnership with Vogue can help the platform to utilize the magazine’s editorial content to become a force in the online luxury retail scene.
Once more well-known designer brands have come to Amazon, attracting more of them won’t be as hard as these brands are reportedly concerned with having ‘good neighbors’.