Amazon Fashion opened its doors this week to an eager fashion tribe. Welcoming everyone to enter its 3,000+ square foot contemporary pop-up store, everyone who attended was promised a shopping experience like no other. Dwelling in London’s Bakers Street, which is not exactly the mecca of shopping, the pop-up was the online giant’s first-ever brick and mortar in the capital. I think because of this everybody was ready to indulge in what Amazon had to offer, which was the latest trends and an array of activities throughout the week.
“[There was] a real mix of premium-priced and mass market like Libertine Libertine next to New Look.”
Jennifer also added what didnt work: “Things that didn’t work were things like the store environment was cold and lacking identity. The staff had no view of stock on the premises, meaning a long-ish wait while they checked the stock room. There was a lack of online stock visibility: the item I wanted was being promoted in-store displays but wasn’t available to purchase either there or on the Amazon website. Lastly, there was a lack of clarity on how they would handle returns.”
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I must say I agree with Jennifer’s overall thoughts of the store, which was Amazon Fashion’s pop-up was an exciting experiment. It created a buzz, but I do think that when it comes to Amazon branching into the luxury sphere, I am with Catherine, the words ‘Amazon’ and ‘luxury’ are not two words I would necessarily put together offline or online. So if they hope to make a name for themselves selling high-end brands alongside more affordable labels, then there is clearly some work still to do, especially if they wish to rule the high street the way they clearly rule online.
Founding editor-in-chief of FashNerd.com, Muchaneta is currently one of the leading influencers writing about the merger of fashion with technology and wearable technology. She has also given talks at Premiere Vision, Munich Fabric Start and Pure London, to name a few. Besides working as a fashion innovation consultant for various fashion companies like LVMH Atelier, Muchaneta has also contributed to Vogue Business, is a senior contributor at The Interline and an associate lecturer at London College of Fashion, UAL.