Apparel April 2019 Apparel May 2019 issue | Page 68

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Free Returns No More?
Samir Alam decodes how free returns are being slowly replaced by other customer incentives
and benefits in the online shopping sphere.
Online shopping is one of the most disruptive
innovations in the world of technology and
business. Starting in the 1990s, the first wave
of the Internet-enabled shopping platforms was
a novelty that soon disappeared with the IT
bubble. However, the lessons learnt from this
experience gave birth to e-commerce in the
form of companies like eBay and Amazon which
have revolutionised how we shop. In India, this
trend also took off with the rising proliferation of
the Internet, as companies like Flipkart began
following in the footsteps of their Western
counterparts. Ten years later, numerous brands,
companies and products are accessible on the
Internet, from food to furniture and apparel
to groceries.
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For the apparel and fashion industry, this
hasn’t been the easiest path. Due to the
traditional nature of clothing and fashion in India,
the idea of purchasing goods online, without the
benefits of touch or trial rooms, has been difficult.
This is why e-commerce brands have always
touted offers of ‘free returns’, which ensured that
if the customer wasn’t satisfied with their
purchase, they could always send it back at zero
expense for a refund. This measure has been
instrumental in attracting hesitant consumers and
changing their perceptions and expectations about
online shopping.
This is why it came as a bit of a surprise when
in early April, Walmart-owned Myntra, a major
apparel e-commerce platform, announced that