Amazon.com is looking to go upscale with its clothing and shoe business, staging a relaunch that has its sites set on "rivals such as Yoox and Net-A-Porter," according to a Financial Times report.
The e-tailer is recruiting software engineering talent to help it develop "great new features to change the way people shop for clothing." As it has done in other categories, Amazon is looking to set the standard by which consumers judge all others in the space.
The push by Amazon comes on the heels of the eBay Fashion (fashion.ebay.com) launch in early April. That site is looking to build on the traditional eBay approach by adding an online mall of top retailers, such as Brooks Brothers and Lord & Taylor, as well as offering flash sales.
Fashion sales at eBay in 2009 have been estimated at somewhere between $5.5 billion and $7.1 billion. Scot Wingo, chief executive of ChannelAdvisor, said Amazon's clothing, accessory and shoe sales are in the $6 billion to $8 billion range.
Amazon has apparently taken some of the tricks of its Zappos business and made them its own. The company is now offering free returns on all U.S. clothing orders over $25.
It is also looking to provide a more sophisticated visual experience with expanded viewing options and color variations that it began using in its denim store during last year's Christmas selling season.
Discussion Questions: Is Amazon ready to do for clothes what it did for books and numerous other categories online? Are American consumers ready to give up stores and take their clothes and shoe shopping online?