From physical grocery stores to voice-powered shopping, Amazon is singing to the tune of “Anything you can do, I can do better.” Recently, Amazon has been aggressively pushing into the world of fashion.
Previous Amazon fashion attempts have failed or been met with limited success (such as endless.com and MyHabit.com, both of which shut down). However, the fervor with which Amazon is approaching fashion of late is making a bold statement. The content and marketing options available to brands offer a lot of opportunities, and apparel brands would be risking a lot to ignore them.
Amazon Fashion Makes a Statement
Amazon has invested in fashion with major ad spending, seven new trademarked labels, and even a fashion competition show that allowed consumers to purchase items seen on the series directly on the streaming page. And that’s just this year. Amazon’s push into fashion is not subtle.
The retail giant has also put a target on the back of online apparel vendors such as StitchFix. Though lots of products are easy to research online, there is little replacement for actually trying on clothing. So, innovative services have sought ways to lower that barrier. Amazon joined that field with Prime Wardrobe, which allows customers to select clothing and try it on in the comfort of their own home before deciding what to purchase.
Given the focused attention Amazon is giving to the fashion industry, apparel brands cannot ignore Amazon.
Product Pages with Content that Fits Just Right
To give you an idea of what is possible on Amazon, here are a couple examples of some brands that are making good use of their content opportunities.
Levi’s Men’s 501 Original-Fit Jean
The Levi’s product page features both exceptional essential content and Premium A+ content.
Essential content includes all the basics you typically need to get your product set up to sell: the title, bullets, images, and the basic product description. The 501’s are showcased above-the-fold with a straightforward, descriptive title, a solid number of good images, and short but useful bullets. (As a side-note, short bullets are increasingly important in the age of voice-powered shopping. More about that here.)
Also notice that the jeans are part of Prime Wardrobe, so consumers have options if they are uncomfortable purchasing sight unseen.
Further down the page, consumers are treated to a plethora of helpful information. The enhanced A+ content shows consumers comparisons between types of jeans, ideas for how to style them, a 360 video, and even a hotspot map to show consumers how to make sure they will get the jeans they want. Overall, the A+ content gives Levi’s a very branded presence.
Columbia Women’s Benton Springs Full Zip Fleece Jacket
This Columbia women’s fleece also gets it right. The essential content is sufficient, with all the most important information: what it’s made from, whether it is machine washable, and some of the key features.
The enhanced A+ content also works hard to eliminate returns, which is a great aspect of A+. The sizing chart helps consumers pick the right size to begin with, so returns are less likely, and the comparison chart makes sure consumers know how the jacket features compare. The comparison chart also keeps consumers in-brand; if the Benton Springs jacket isn’t quite right, the chart links to other options that might fit the bill.
Steps to a Successful Amazon Fashion Strategy
Step 1: Build a Foundation
Sturdy content is key. Your Amazon product pages should have essential content that gets to the point, as well as enhanced A+ content that makes the most of the branding opportunities.
Step 2: Get Discovered
Optimize your content for organic search and use Amazon Advertising strategically to bring customers to your content.
Step 3: Leverage Product Page Insights
Be careful not to abandon your pages until they become outdated. As your advertising campaigns return insights, use fresh keywords and update the content to remain relevant.
