Not Sure What to Wear? Amazon Can Help

SAN FRANCISCO, United States — Amazon.com Inc wants to help you choose what to wear.

The technology and retailing behemoth on Wednesday unveiled a voice-controlled camera, the Echo Look, and an app that recommends which of two outfits is best, using fashion specialists' advice and algorithms that check for the latest trends.

The new product underscores Amazon's ambitions to be a top player in both fashion and voice-powered computing.

Surging apparel sales are helping Amazon challenge Macy's Inc as the dominant retailer in the category, and Amazon is working to create an appetite for clothes it designs in-house, too. The company has also begun offering promotions when placed via Echo devices to encourage purchases by voice.

The Echo Look "opens up a new realm of shopping experiences," said Werner Goertz, a Gartner Inc analyst. It may one day herald the use of augmented reality in e-commerce so shoppers can "try things on visually before you make your buying decision."

For now, the $199.99 Echo Look, which is not yet available to the general public, allows for full-length photos and video. With the "Style Check" service, customers can get fashion input on two photos they submit, for clothes they already have.

Amazon has sold an estimated 10 million or more Alexa voice assistant devices, and has had trouble keeping the original Echo device in stock, it says.

By Jeffrey Dastin and Anya George Tharakan; editor: Jeffrey Benkoe.