Amazon's New Fashion Site to Compete With Gilt Groupe and Others

Amazon.com is launching yet another apparel site, this time to compete against trendy members-only offerings from Gilt Groupe and others.

The new site at MyHabit.com offers up to 60 percent off top brands such as Doo.Ri, Elizabeth and James, Halston, and Vera Wang. Like other members-only sites, the merchandise will go on sale in the morning, and be available until the inventory sells out.

While you have to belong, it costs nothing to join, and in this case, users can sign up with their Amazon username and password.

The idea of flash sales sites is as trendy as a Coach clutch.

Last week, New York-based ideeli raised $41 million in a third round of capital. Ideeli and Gilt Groupe both offer discounts on brand name apparel. Other sites, such as One Kings Lane, has also raised a lot of cash to offer discounts on home decor. Other apparel sites include Rue La La, which is partially owned by eBay, and HauteLook, which was acquired recently by Nordstrom.

The launch of MyHabit is Amazon’s latest attempt to tap into the designer apparel market. It also operates independent sites, such as Endless.com, which is focused on shoes, and Shopbop.com, which sells designer shoes, clothing, bags and accessories at full price.

MyHabit will leverage some of Amazon’s regular perks, such as free shipping and returns. Orders eligible for return will receive credit redeemable from MyHabit, Amazon.com and Endless.com.

While operating a little like Amazon, the site looks entirely different aesthetically. Instead of a large inventory of items displayed by small thumbnail pictures, the merchandise on MyHabit is a small subset that’s presented with video that offers a 360-degree view of the clothing on live models.

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