Amazon woos fashion addicts with MyHabit.com budget boutique
Should I feel special? Today I got an invitation from Amazon offering "free, instant access" to "membership-only fashion destination" MyHabit.com. Are you a "valued Amazon.com customer," who received this invite, too?
I'm a sucker for good marketing but I'm a perpetual T-Shirt, shorts and sneakers wearer. Besides I'm short and chunky. I don't look good in designer anything. I do like Amazon's branding and marketing though. MyHabit.com is truly inspired branding. Every fashionista I know, including my 16 year-old daughter, is a clothes and fashion addict.
The word "my" has strong possessive connotations that also are aspirational. There are reasons why, for example, so many Apple products begin with "i" You see lowercase but say -- and even mentally perceive -- uppercase, as in "I" possessive, with connotation "my" or "mine." I signed into MyHabit.com's mens area and was presented with "I.Am clothing" -- again that possessive "I" connotation. See the screen grab below, and I've got ask: Could the male model be any more androgynous?
I.Am clothing is design wear from Black Eyed Peas rapper Will.i.am (William James Adams). The clothing line launched in early 2005, and I must say these are some mighty fine-looking threads. Marketing tagline: "I am me. You are you. Feel good about it." According to the I.Am clothing website only one store in the San Diego area, Let's Go Clothing, carries the line -- although it's not listed (that I can see) in the brand list.
The wears at MyHabit.com, while supposedly exclusively offered (membership has its own marketing appeal), are supposed to be discounted by about 60 percent. I looked at a I.Am clothing "Detailed Tee" selling for $39, marked down from $98. I dunno, even discounted the Tee is overpriced to me.
But the presentation is inspired. It's like attending your own personal fashion show. The model isn't a static photo -- he moves! He turns around so the shopper gets a full few of the clothing. For perspective, the model's dimensions are given. In this case: "Height 6'2"; Waist 31"; wearing a size M; Shirt 16; Suit 40 L." I'm five-six and will never look like this guy wearing anything sold there.
Clothes, footwear, jewelry and other items are offered as four-day "events," and the one for I.Am clothing goes through May 6.
MyHabit.com competes with several other fashion sites, including Google's Boutiques.com, which launched last autumn in beta. But Boutiques.com lacks panache and exclusivity, not that it's really all that exclusive. Anyone can sign up, near as I can see. It's all about the branding and making shoppers feel exclusive by participating in "events" that present designer label wear at Filene's Basement or Nordstrom Rack prices. Although the Doo.Ri "Astral Skirt" gave me sticker shock, at $278, discounted from $695. It's cute, I must say.
Then there is the expertise. Amazon's core business is retail. Google's isn't. Boutiques.com is very search and menu-finding oriented. MyHabit.com presents the clothing. Heck, I feel special just browsing, and nothing is appropriate for my body type. That said, MyHabit.com looks mighty uptown compared to Boutiques.com. Google's fashion site has more down-to-earth appeal, such as its bspoke blog's "Boutique Spotlight" of Kaylee Mccall, who writes "The Stylish Nomad" blog. Boutiques.com packs lots of sharing options and advice for dressing smart. There's an iPad app, too.
So, it's time to answer the question some Betanews readers are already asking: "Why the hell is Joe Wilcox writing about a fashion site? We want tech. We don't care about fashion!" Maybe, but your mum does, and Mother's Day is this Sunday here in the United States. MyHabit.com has, count `em, four "events" for women today, including design wear from Doo.Ri and Kenneth Jay Lane Jewelry. Buy her something special this year. If not at Boutiques.com, MyHabit.com or the local florist shop then somewhere.