Amazon It opened a beauty and health product store in Milan, marking the company’s latest brick and mortar store experiments.
The store is located in the city centre of Milan, Italy, and features a range of beauty and personal care items, as well as non-prescription medications, Amazon said in a blog post. The first store, called Amazon Parafarmacia & Beauty, opens its doors to the public on Wednesdays.
The store stocks products from beauty and skincare brands such as La Roche Posai, Eucerin and Vichy. There is also “Derma-bars” where shoppers can get “free digital skin analysis” of their skin type and condition and receive product recommendations.
The store includes a section with on-site pharmacists where shoppers can purchase “non-prescription, over-the-counter medication,” according to Amazon.
By launching its first “Parapharmacy,” the e-commerce giant hopes to send online success in the beauty and personal care categories into physical world sales. Beauty and personal care items, including everything from hairsprays and cosmetics to deodorizers and Q-Tips, make up one of the fastest growing verticals on Amazon.
The company began offering health and beauty products in 2000, but initially its choice was limited to most mass market brands. Since then, we have added such luxury brands Esti Lauder And La Mel.
The new store format also marks the latest experiments in Amazon’s physical retailing. The company has opened and closed all bookstores, pop-up shops, four-star and apparel stores. It also shut down its storefront in Woodland Hills, California last month, reducing the footprint of the Amazon Go convenience store. At grocery stores, Amazon’s portfolio includes a Whole Foods supermarket and a chain of fresh stores.
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