Dress to Impress

LEVERAGING ITS POSITION as the No. 1 apparel retailer in the U.S. (per Wells Fargo), e-commerce giant Amazon (Seattle) once again doubled down on physical retail with its latest effort, Amazon Style. The brick-and-mortar store melds tech expertise with consumers’ desire to touch and try on clothing before purchase.

The first location opens later this year in Los Angeles shopping, dining and entertainment center The Americana at Brand. Using the Amazon Shopping app, customers can send items to a fitting room outfitted with a touchscreen to view additional options, rate items and request different sizes or styles to be delivered to the room in minutes.

As shoppers browse the store, machine learning algorithms make personalized, real-time recommendations, suggesting items that match their style, fit and other preferences.

The concept extends the customer journey beyond the lease line, combining the best aspects of physical and digital retail for a peek into the future of the shopping experience.