Unsure what to wear? Let Amazon pick it for you
san francisco — Amazon wants to help you choose what to wear.
The technology and retailing behemoth unveiled a voice-controlled camera, the Echo Look, and an app that recommends which of two outfits is best, using fashion specialists’ advice and algorithms that check for the latest trends.
The new product underscores Amazon’s ambitions to be a top player in fashion and voice-powered computing.
Amazon is working to make its voice assistant Alexa, which competes with Apple’s Siri, an indispensable feature of people’s lives: from playing music to helping someone cook, and now to helping someone dress. The more commands it receives and data it processes improve Alexa’s understanding, making the service more useful. The same holds true for Amazon’s new “Style Check” service.
Users submit two full-length photos of their outfits, taken by the Echo Look, and they receive recommendations that become “smarter through your feedback and input from our team of experienced fashion specialists”, Amazon said on its website.
If successful, the service would not only give Amazon data on what outfits customers prefer, but it also would help shoppers equate Amazon with fashion — a lucrative market for online retailers. Surging apparel sales are helping Amazon challenge Macy’s as the dominant retailer in the category. Customers like to try on clothing in stores, however, an obstacle to future growth online. —