When the going gets tough, the tough get going — to Amazon.
At least, that seems to be the strategy that Lands’ End is looking to employ as it moves a select collection of items over for sale on Amazon later this month.
Known for dressing the preppy-outdoorsy, it has struggled in recent years in a retail space cluttered with higher-end competitors and is now looking to carve out a greater and more recognizable online presence. As September ends, Lands’ End will be introducing items from its Lands’ End sports, footwear and Canvas collections to the Amazon lineup.
According to reports, Amazon has agreed to Lands’ End’s pricing model and will not discount beyond stated limits.
Lands’ End is not alone in considering an Amazonian expedition. Gap Inc. CEO Art Peck noted in May that it would be “delusional” for his brand not to consider selling on Amazon.
Others have argued it would be “idiotic” for Gap to let Amazon’s fox into its hen house and have argued that Target, Walmart and Costco would all be better choices for the Gap brand.
Lands’ End suffers a similar problem that Gap does and a similarly narrow needle to thread. It must both balance its desire to reach a broader customer base with the risks it faces making itself on entry into the ever-expanding digital bazaar that Amazon is building.
Plus, flinging its doors open and giving Amazon a peek into what items Lands’ End customers really love allows Amazon to show love in the only way it really knows how.
Offering its own version. Probably for cheaper.
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