Lady LUX

As part of its determined expansion into the world of prestige beauty brands, Amazon is launching a dedicated area for men’s grooming. The area, presented in quite a different manner than the Internet giant’s usual, boasts a suave mustache icon and big, clean product shots as category landing areas, reported WWD.

“The Men’s Grooming store allows us to introduce a more curated shopping experience for men,” said Chance Wales, Amazon’s director of health, beauty and personal care said to WWD. “We’re very focused on providing a streamlined experience for the man who already has a grooming regimen and wants to be able to make purchases from one destination seamlessly. We are also offering a more editorial-rich experience for the man who wants to explore products, read reviews and change up his grooming regimen.”

Accessible at Amazon.com/mensgrooming, the site presents six categories – including shave, body care, hair care and skin care – plus an array of prestige and mass items, from brands such as Gillette, Axe, American Crew, Ahava, Dove, Nivea and Baxter of California.

Amazon has also teamed up with Men’s Fitness magazine to provide content, such as “5 Steps to the Perfect Shave,” as well as J.P Mastey, creative director for Baxter of California. Editorial areas will cover How-To guides, geared toward detailing steps to achieve results such as kissable skin; Problem Solvers, which offers simple, one-product solutions; Men’s Essentials, hoped to be a key destination to buy everything needed for different regimens; and J.P.’s Top 10, which will present Mastey’s content.

“The feel of the overall site is organized, so it’s easy to discover and purchase grooming must-haves,” Wales said, maintaining that it shows how Amazon is ramping up the general look and feel of shopping on its site. “We are always listening to our customers, and we know men are eager to have a destination just for them.”

According to Nielsen research, Amazon’s 188 million active customers comprised 74 percent of offline cosmetics buys in the past 90 days, signaling the marked opportunities the giant e-tailer has to grow its beauty and grooming sales.

“2013 is Amazon’s year of beauty,” Wales said, failing to discuss specifics. “We are planning on ending the year with a much different customer experience and selection than the one we currently have.”

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