مهم نيست كه چه آمازون وWalmart در طول روز پرايم، پوشاك در اين هفته در ذهن خريداران خواهد بود، زيرا مصرف كنندگان آماده مي شوند تا با دوستان و خانواده خود گرد هم آيند يا به دنبال جبران پوندهاي همه گير اضافي هستند.

رقابت در فضاي پوشاك بيش از هميشه است. آمازون اخيراً Walmart را به عنوان برترين فروشنده پوشاك در ايالات متحده بركنار كرده است و هر دو شركت تمايل دارند كه خريداران مد روز را جذب كنند، نه فقط به تهيه لوازم اوليه كمك كنند.

وينسنت كوان، دانشيار مؤسسه فناوري مد، گفت كه اين دو خرده‌فروش مي‌توانند در صورت همگامي با روندها، همراه با فروش جوراب‌ها و تي‌شرت‌هاي معمولي، فروش بيشتري داشته باشند.

او گفت: «نرخ چرخش تاريخي كالاهاي مد سريع‌تر است، و اين يك مؤلفه مهم است زيرا چرخش سريع‌تر به معناي خريد اضافي است».

Amazon Prime Day از دوشنبه آغاز شد و سه شنبه به پايان مي رسد. والمارت يك رويداد فروش همپوشاني دارد، معاملات روز، كه از يكشنبه آغاز شد و تا چهارشنبه ادامه دارد. ساير خرده فروشان متمركز بر پوشاك معاملات خود را از جمله Target ارائه مي دهند ، كوهل و وب سايت فروش مجدد،ThredUp.

خريداران آنلاين و در فروشگاه‌ها مي‌توانند لباس‌ها، شورت‌ها و ديگر كمد لباس‌ها را با ۶۰ درصد تخفيف در Walmart بيابند - همراه با تركيبي از ساير اقلام تخفيف‌خورده از پازل تا جاروبرقي بي‌سيم.

Amazon began slashing clothing prices two weeks before Prime Day. It is now promoting “The Prime Day Big Style Sale,” which includes discounts on active and loungewear for up to 40% off, while Amazon’s own apparel brands are up to 30% off.

Amazon often uses Prime Day to point customers toward its own brands. Last year, sales of Amazon’s brands made up 15% of its total sales and, when excluding third-party sales, a quarter of the total, according to consumer transaction data collected by 1010data. That includes sales of Amazon-made devices, such as Echo smart speakers, Fire TV streaming sticks and tablets.

Shoppers are taking notice of the apparel promotions. Among the clothing, shoes and jewelry products on Amazon, Under Armour has been the top brand with about 15% of the best-selling items, followed by Carter’s and Levi’s with 11% of the top sellers and Amazon Essentials with 7%, according to a note on Tuesday by BMO Capital Markets.

Clothing sales cratered during the pandemic as consumers had few reasons to dress up. That trend has reversed. Apparel sales are up 46% so far this year compared with the same period in 2020 and 7% compared with the period in 2019, according to The NPD Group, which tracks retail trends.

Rising swimwear and denim sales in the spring were among the earliest indicators of the comeback, NPD apparel industry analyst Kristen Classi-Zummo said. Swim is up 19% so far this year compared with 2019 and sales of jeans have risen 10% compared with 2019, according to NPD.

Three major factors have lifted clothing sales, she said: Americans are going out and preparing for the return to the office and the classroom in the fall. A new fashion cycle of looser fitting denim has rippled through the wardrobe, inspiring a search for tops and shoes that match.

Then, there are the people who no longer fit into old clothes. Nearly 40% of women and 30% of men said they are wearing a new size, according to an NPD survey of consumers in the spring. They credit exercise in the home gym or blame snacking because of stress for the change.

The pandemic pushed even reluctant shoppers who prefer to touch and feel clothes at the mall toward websites and apps. Apparel dollars spent online accounted for about 24% of total apparel sales in 2019, according to NPD data. That rose to 34% in 2020.

“We have seen apparel sales online jump in a year what would have taken five years,” Classi-Zummo said. “I don’t anticipate online [apparel sales] going back to where it was.”

As the pandemic shifted more shopping online, Amazon overtook Walmart as the top apparel seller , according to a Wells Fargo report in March. Wells Fargo estimates Amazon’s apparel and footwear sales in the U.S. grew by roughly 15% in 2020 to more than billion, which is 20% to 25% above rival Walmart.

The e-commerce giant is nipping at Walmart’s heels in more ways than one. With more than 1.3 million employees worldwide and a rapidly growing headcount, it’s poised to snag Walmart’s spot as the nation’s largest employer as soon as next year, according to the World Economic Forum. By 2022, analysts expect Amazon will surpass Walmart and become the largest U.S. retailer.

The retail giants compete across many categories, but apparel has become an area where both have sought to gain market share.

Walmart has launched fashion-focused private labels: Sofia Jeans, a denim line developed with actress Sofia Vergara; Eloquii Elements, a plus-sized women’s brand inspired by acquired brand Eloquii; Free Assembly, everyday fashion for men and women; and Scoop, a trend-driven line reviving the name of the now-shuttered New York City boutique chain.

Like Amazon, it has used its third-party marketplace to broaden selection. One of its partners is ThredUp, a secondhand apparel site that sells brand names at a lower price. It has more than 1,000 apparel brands, including its exclusive labels, according to a company spokesperson.

Amazon found early success by selling a wide range of basics from popular third-party brands like Calvin Klein and Adidas. Over the last few years, it quietly expanded its lineup of private labels. That includes Amazon Essentials, which ranges from maxi dresses to baby clothing. It has exclusive lines like Lark & Ro for women’s fashion, Spotted Zebra for kid’s clothing and Buttoned Down for men’s businesswear. 

Amazon and Walmart declined to share the number of private label apparel brands they have. But last year, retail analysts attempted to size it up. Amazon has at least 111 private labels that have more than 22,000 products, according to a Coresight Research report published in May 2020. Most are in apparel, with 12,222 products and 87 brands falling into the category, Coresight found at the time.

Amazon has increasingly incorporated trendier styles into in-house brands and sold upscale items through online luxury fashion shops. In 2019, it launched The Drop, a line of limited-edition collections curated by fashion influencers, such as Kendall and Kylie Jenner.

Amazon has several advantages on its side — chief among them vast swaths of powerful first-party consumer data. It has a loyal base of more than 200 million Prime subscribers that already turn to it to buy everything from household essentials and TVs to books and toys. The majority of U.S. adults start their shopping journey on Amazon.

Walmart beats out Amazon with its huge physical footprint, which spans more than 4,700 stores nationwide, not including its Sam’s Club locations.

“It allows people to shop things, try things on and just engage with the products in a little bit more meaningful of a way,” said Katie Thomas, leader of the Kearney Consumer Institute. “So I think that works in their favor.”

While Amazon and Walmart are a force in online apparel, challenges lie ahead. The retailers must still prove to some consumers that they are fashion destinations. Both have low prices, but the huge selection can overwhelm consumers.

Thomas said the retailers need to create a more curated experience and guide customers by working with influencers or suggesting head-to-toe looks.

“That can help people figure out how to put things together or how they can achieve a high-low look with things from Walmart or Amazon that were traditionally H&M or Forever 21,” Thomas said.

She said apparel is far more complex than other merchandise because shoppers must find the right fit. “It’s just a lot different than shopping for garbage bags and kitchen shears,” she said.

جانين استيچر، معاون ارشد پوشاك و كفش در جفريز، گفت: كالاهاي رو به جلو با ريسك‌هاي بالاتري همراه هستند كه مي‌تواند به سودآوري آسيب برساند. جوراب ها و ساير وسايل اوليه كمتر به دليل آب و هوا از بين مي روند، به دليل تناسب نامناسب بازگردانده مي شوند يا به قفسه ترخيص منتقل مي شوند. او گفت، با اين حال، يك لباس زيبا يا يك تاپ به احتمال زياد توسط خريداراني كه فكر مي‌كنند كاملاً درست به نظر نمي‌رسد يا آن را به عنوان لباس خاصي كه جستجو كرده‌اند، بازگردانده مي‌شوند.

بر اساس برآوردهاي Jefferies، نرخ بازگشت آنلاين براي پوشاك زنانه 30 درصد و براي پوشاك مردانه 20 درصد است.

به نظر مي رسد هر دو شركت به اين چالش ها پي برده اند. آمازون اخيراً بخش اختصاصي را در سايت خود براي «محصولات معروف اينترنتي» راه‌اندازي كرده است، كه يافتن مواردي را كه در TikTok محبوب شده‌اند يا توسط يك تأثيرگذار در TikTok مشخص شده‌اند، آسان‌تر مي‌كند. والمارت از قدرت رسانه هاي اجتماعي نيز بهره برده است، با راهنمايي مصرف كنندگان به سمت خريدهاي بالقوه در جريان  رويدادهاي پخش زنده قابل خريد .