Apparel July 2019 Apparel July 2019 issue | Page 84

MARKET WATCH
E-commerce battle
moves beyond discounts
Bebe to open 25 stores
over the next two years
Apparel and accessories brand Bebe plans to
open about 15 more accessories stores and 10
apparel stores over the next two years.
Bebe recently opened its shop-in-shop (SIS) at
Lifestyle, Ardee Mall in Gurugram, and Kapsons in
Patiala. The brand re-entered the Indian market in
partnership with Mumbai-based Mikaya Brands. It
opened its first accessories store at Ahmedabad’s
Alpha One mall. The apparel and accessories
brand, based out of Los Angeles, will open SISs
in Lifestyle, Ahmedabad, and Lifestyle, Ambience
Mall, Gurugram.
From battling for the largest product catalogues
to the lowest prices, the focus on online retail
now seems to be shifting to the fastest deliveries,
after-sales services such as alterations, and
reduction in the number of returns.
A case in point is that of India’s largest online
fashion retailer, Myntra, which is set to launch
30 experience centres or kiosks across India
by August, where customers can pick the
products they ordered when convenient, return
merchandise, and get alterations done on the
spot. Its first such centre in Bengaluru’s Manyata
Tech Park, which is home to multinational
companies such as Ikea, Philips, and Nokia, has
seen a reduction of 7 per cent in returns since it
was launched as a pilot in December.
It is also piloting what it has christened as the
‘try and buy open box’ initiative. While several
versions are being tested, these products will
come in a box for a customer to try them. A
delivery agent will later come at a designated time
to take it away and the customer can choose to
keep what they like and return the others.
Edited excerpt from Live Mint
Major Brands to expand operations
Major Brands, the Indian franchise for several international lifestyle products, plans to expand its operations in the next
four years by investing around R260 crore.
The company will set up a warehouse in South India, besides opening several new outlets in malls across major cities.
The company will also enter Tier II cities across India. It currently has 160 standalone outlets for different brands, which
are sized between 200 and 2,500 square feet. In addition, it is also present in several big retail outlets under the shop-in-
shop model.
Apart from retail sales, Major Brands also plans to venture into the gifting segment for which it will negotiate with
various corporates. It currently represents several international lifestyle brands in India, and has opened exclusive
brand outlets.
72
I APPAREL I
July 2019