Amazon Wants To Get Into Your Underwear Drawer

Image courtesy of Hofman Photos

Amazon has already been making moves to get into customers’ closets with the in-house apparel brands it launched last year, and rumors that it’s planning a new line of workout clothing. Now, Amazon reportedly wants to slip into something more comfortable: your underwear drawer.

The e-commerce giant is planning to start peddling its own line of women’s intimate apparel n its U.S. website, according to people familiar with the matter, who spoke to The Wall Street Journal.

This could start to happen in the next few weeks, as Amazon is already selling bras for under $10 in Europe under its label Iris & Lilly, the WSJ notes.

Lingerie veterans like Calvin Klein and Victoria’s Secret have struggled recently to convince shoppers to keep spending $40 per bra, which could make it the perfect time for Amazon to swoop in and offer cheap prices to lure thrifty customers. After all, a bra for under $10 sounds pretty nice to someone who’s been paying four times as much for years. If it doesn’t fit? Send it back.

It’s tricky to sell people bras online, however, as there’s no fitting room to try things on. And when it comes to a garment that’s meant to be worn under other clothing, you want it to fit just right.

“Because it’s so close to your skin, women want to be able to touch the product to see if the material feels good,” Kimmay Caldwell, a lingerie consultant and bra fitter, told the WSJ. “Repeat customers might go to Amazon, but not someone who wants to make a purchase for the first time.”

However, shoppers have become more accustomed to seeing simple sizing in bras, with items like sports bras and bralettes, which makes it easier to predict how something will fit. And again, as one shopper tells the WSJ, “I don’t mind trying it if it’s cheap. I don’t think it would be a big deal if I lost $10 or $20 on a bra.”

Amazon declined to comment on the WSJ’s story.

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