Calvin Klein has announced that it is taking a new approach this holiday season – instead of giving department stores access to its new stuff – online giant Amazon gets all that awesome underwear and denim first (here). Department stores won’t have access to their line until after Christmas sales have ended.
Wait, what?
It’s not a bad idea though. Basically, CK is following the money trail and with more and more consumers going to Amazon as the online shop of choice, compared to the thousands of stores closing across the country for the retail sector, it makes sense.
CK’s new approach is innovative- in addition to going online, it’s got two in-person pop-ups to create a new shopping experience that integrates Amazon Alexa devices and a highly personalized shopping experience. For example, you could literally see how those jeans pop in the club by having some delicious dance track play on Alexa and some clever lighting – dude! The pop up stores won’t even have prices, they just use the Amazon app to show relevant, changing prices (thanks to robots with algorithms).
How this new approach and unique shopping experience goes for this brand is going to set a new tone possibly – if it’s successful.
Amazon is set to benefit in its broader exposure and exclusivity (as though you needed a reason to shop at Amazon – I sure don’t!) of the relationship, but more importantly, as Amazon moves into fashion with things like “Prime Wardrobe” and seven new private-label clothes brand it’s set to become a great place for clothing. Earlier this year, Nike began selling on Amazon as well, so while CK isn’t the first to jump on it, it’s certainly doing it in a unique way.
Sadly, the pop-ups are only in the bougie locales of New York and Los Angeles, but everyone else should check out the customer site for all those good denim jackets, I mean, jeans. In terms of marketing, Model Karlie Kloss and YouTuber Lilly Singh are influencing the campaign, creating a one of a kind mix of fashion, technology, and engagement.
The great CK experiment is proving to be a fascinating show – and has some big implications for future retail.
Kam has a Master's degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, and is an HR professional. Obsessed with food, but writing about virtually anything, he has a passion for LGBT issues, business, technology, and cats.
