Gap, one of America’s most storied mall-based brands, is opening up shop on what has essentially become the country’s biggest mall — Amazon.
Under the new partnership with Amazon Fashion in the U.S. and Canada, Gap has opened a dedicated brand “store” offering its apparel essentials — including denim, tees, socks, underwear and sleepwear — for adults, kids and babies. In addition to apparel, the collaboration also features a new line of babyGap-branded nursery furniture and baby gear created through a licensing deal with Delta Children. Items in the new line, which is also now available on Gap.com, include strollers, bassinets, cribs and more.
Gap merchandise could be found on Amazon through third-party sellers prior to the deal, but the new partnership marks the first time that the retailer itself will sell on the platform. A move that most major brands vehemently resisted for years, Gap’s decision is a sign of the times as one by one, big-name retailers — including Victoria’s Secret, Peloton, Disney Store and Party City — give in to the massive reach and scale of the ecommerce giant.
The shift in sentiment is due in part to Amazon’s ongoing efforts to make its marketplace safer and more appealing to large brands, but is primarily driven by consumers’ seemingly insatiable appetite for the convenience and experience the platform offers. Resistance, it turns out, really is futile.
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“Collaborating with Amazon Fashion provides us a new channel to deliver Gap’s modern American essentials to even more customers in the U.S. and Canada,” said Mark Breitbard, President and CEO of the Gap brand in a statement. “We are excited to take this step with Amazon Fashion, to expand our product offering and to deepen our connection with consumers through the Gap brand store.”
The news comes one day after Gap announced that it was selling its business in Greater China to Baozun in a $40 million franchise agreement that will see the ecommerce solutions provider operate both Gap’s stores and website in the region.
The persistently pressured retailer continues to make efforts to widen its appeal and expand its business model, with initiatives such as its ongoing partnership with Walmart, the launch of a third-party fulfillment service for other retailers and a continued streamlining of its loyalty program across sister brands Athleta, Banana Republic and Old Navy.
