Amazon Deploys Old School Strategies For New School Shoppers

Amazon Deploys Old School Strategies For New School Shoppers

By Klaudia Tirico, Associate Editor

Amazon has added yet another shopping option to its ever-growing roster of retail offerings. This time, the e-Commerce giant is taking a stab at a live talk show — with a twist. Introducing: Style Code Live. The free, daily show highlights fashion and beauty trends, with products that viewers can purchase as they watch. Sound familiar? If QVC and HSN come to mind, we’re on the same page.

Style Code Live will combine Amazon’s streaming services with the wide variety of inventory it is known for. It streams new, 30-minute episodes at 9 pm (ET) on the retailer’s web site Monday through Thursday, and a “best of” episode at the same time on Fridays. The show is hosted by YouTube personality Frankie J. Grande, ABC News correspondent Rachel Smith and former “TRL” host Lyndsey Rodrigues, and will feature style tips from influencers, celebrity guest appearances, and a real-time interactive experience where viewers can chat.

The shopping feature comes in the form of a carousel running under the Style Code Live player that is updated to highlight the products being featured on the show at that time. The show is basically a daily 30-minute YouTube ad that provides a link to the product right below the video player.

The 1980s Called, They Want Their Infomercial Back

Considering humans now have an attention span shorter than a goldfish (eight seconds), I don’t believe this show will resonate well with its targeted Millennial audience.

I can get behind Amazon opening brick-and-mortar stores, but a new QVC or HSN-type platform makes me feel like I hopped into a DeLorean and traveled back to 1986. I simply don’t find this step back in time relevant to consumers given the influence social media has on shoppers today.

A study by Marketforce found that 81% of consumers make purchase decisions based on their friends’ social media posts, proving that influencer marketing is growing more and more popular, especially in the fashion and beauty world.

Millennials in particular want original content that is interesting to them and their peers, and they get it through social channels like Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. They don’t have to tune into an online show aired during a popular television time slot.

As a Millennial who has worked in beauty editorial, I can attest that the show’s intended target audience would much rather look at a major fashion or beauty blogger’s content. Influencers like Geri Hirsch of Because I’m Addicted, Aimee Song of Song of Style and mega beauty vloggerMichelle Phan have established relationships with their followers, making them more trustworthy than celebrities that are simply asked to promote a specific product on a live show.  

Retail analyst Paula Rosenblum said it best in this Forbes article: “In the age of Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Vine and other forms of product presentation and customer engagement, a TV shopping network starts to feel a bit old and tired. Talking about products is one thing. Buying is another. And even the original QVC fans are unlikely to bite, what to speak of Millennials.”

Whether Style Code Live will survive or perish, Amazon has the resources to take the loss. Not all retailers have that option, and I believe there are better, more up-to-date strategies than this somewhat “old school” method.