Amazon launched its first personal clothing store, full of algorithms

Amazon plans to open a high-tech clothing store in Los Angeles using technology used in its logistics centers to combine the advantages of online and in-person shopping, despite accusations of abuse of dominance against it.

“Customers will be able to shop from the fitting room,” the Seattle group promised in a statement Thursday, announcing the opening of the new brand, called Amazon Style, “later this year,” in a California mall.

“Amazon Style is built around personalization,” the statement said. Consumers will be able to scan the clothes they want, and the algorithms will “make them personalized, real-time recommendations”.

The idea is to combine the benefits of shopping online and in person.

In the booths, the touch screen will allow customers to choose different models and sizes, which will be brought to them “in a few minutes” by sales staff, thanks to the “advanced technologies and processes” already used in the group’s warehouses.

The company prides itself on being able to offer much more options than traditional stores, in a less crowded space. For example, it will be possible to place an order online – there are millions of items – and try it right away.

Like Apple, Meta (Facebook), and Google, Amazon is under fire for amassing too much power in the markets it dominates. Competition authorities in particular accuse him of being a judge and jury on his platform, marketing his own products as well as those of other brands.

But that doesn’t discourage the company, which regularly highlights jobs created and the success of some small and medium businesses on Amazon.com.

Amazon opened its first store six years ago, a bookstore, the first segment the company has disrupted with its online sales platform. He has since launched various brands, with varying degrees of automation, from food to electronics. He bought the organic supermarket chain Whole Foods in 2017.