As quick commerce players ramp up their 10-minute delivery of apparel and lifestyle items, they͏͏ are͏͏ set͏͏ on͏͏ resolving͏͏ a͏͏ major͏͏ issue͏͏ in͏͏ online͏͏ fashion͏͏ shopping:͏͏ the͏͏ hassle͏͏ of͏͏ returns͏͏ and͏͏ exchanges.
Blinkit Trials͏͏ Fast͏͏ Returns:
Gurgaon-based͏͏ Blinkit͏͏ has͏͏ begun͏͏ testing͏͏ 10-minute͏͏ returns͏͏ and͏͏ exchanges͏͏ for͏͏ apparel,͏͏ footwear,͏͏ and͏͏ select͏͏ lifestyle͏͏ items͏͏ like͏͏ handbags,͏͏ according͏͏ to͏͏ details͏͏ on͏͏ the͏͏ company’s͏͏ app.͏͏ Similarly,͏͏ Nexus͏͏ Venture͏͏ Partners-backed͏͏ Zepto,͏͏ offers͏͏ 72-hour͏͏ exchanges͏͏ for͏͏ apparel͏͏ that͏͏ are͏͏ damaged͏͏ or͏͏ defective.
Continue͏͏ Exploring:͏͏ Quick commerce platforms͏͏ eye͏͏ expansion͏͏ into͏͏ fashion͏͏ sector:͏͏ Blinkit,͏͏ Swiggy͏͏ Instamart͏͏ in͏͏ talks͏͏ with͏͏ top͏͏ apparel͏͏ brands
Flexible͏͏ Exchange͏͏ Policies͏͏ on͏͏ the͏͏ Rise:
Executives͏͏ in͏͏ quick͏͏ commerce͏͏ noted͏͏ that͏͏ some͏͏ brands͏͏ are͏͏ establishing͏͏ store͏͏ returns͏͏ agreements,͏͏ allowing͏͏ customers͏͏ who͏͏ purchase͏͏ products͏͏ through͏͏ quick͏͏ commerce͏͏ apps͏͏ to͏͏ return͏͏ items͏͏ at͏͏ authorized͏͏ brand͏͏ outlets.
Industry͏͏ estimates͏͏ indicate͏͏ that͏͏ approximately͏͏ 25-30%͏͏ of͏͏ online͏͏ fashion͏͏ orders͏͏ are͏͏ returned,͏͏ as͏͏ customers͏͏ seek͏͏ to͏͏ exchange͏͏ products͏͏ for͏͏ the͏͏ right͏͏ sizes͏͏ and͏͏ fittings.
Continue͏͏ Exploring:͏͏ Over͏͏ 30%͏͏ of͏͏ fashion͏͏ and͏͏ footwear͏͏ orders͏͏ get͏͏ returned͏͏ in͏͏ online͏͏ shopping:͏͏ Report
“The͏͏ primary͏͏ challenge͏͏ in͏͏ online͏͏ fashion͏͏ shopping͏͏ is͏͏ ensuring͏͏ the͏͏ right͏͏ fit͏͏ and͏͏ sizing.͏͏ For͏͏ quick͏͏ commerce͏͏ companies,͏͏ efficiently͏͏ managing͏͏ reverse͏͏ logistics͏͏ for͏͏ returns͏͏ and͏͏ exchanges͏͏ will͏͏ be͏͏ vital͏͏ to͏͏ the͏͏ operational͏͏ success͏͏ of͏͏ 10-minute͏͏ fashion͏͏ deliveries,”͏͏ stated͏͏ a͏͏ founder͏͏ of͏͏ a͏͏ direct-to-consumer͏͏ (D2C)͏͏ brand.͏͏ Quick͏͏ commerce͏͏ has͏͏ made͏͏ a͏͏ cautious͏͏ entry͏͏ into͏͏ the͏͏ fashion͏͏ sector,͏͏ primarily͏͏ offering͏͏ basic͏͏ apparel͏͏ like͏͏ undergarments,͏͏ t-shirts,͏͏ socks,͏͏ and͏͏ kurtas,͏͏ along͏͏ with͏͏ footwear͏͏ items͏͏ such͏͏ as͏͏ flip-flops͏͏ and͏͏ sandals.
Expanding͏͏ Fashion Offerings:
A͏͏ recent͏͏ report͏͏ from͏͏ Elara͏͏ Capital͏͏ reveals͏͏ that͏͏ Blinkit’s͏͏ exposure͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ non-food͏͏ category͏͏ stands͏͏ at͏͏ 40%,͏͏ compared͏͏ to͏͏ 33%͏͏ for͏͏ Instamart.͏͏ Blinkit͏͏ offers͏͏ 22,000͏͏ stock͏͏ keeping͏͏ units,͏͏ while͏͏ Instamart͏͏ provides͏͏ 17,000.͏͏ Zomato-owned͏͏ Blinkit,͏͏ along͏͏ with͏͏ Swiggy͏͏ Instamart͏͏ and͏͏ Zepto,͏͏ all͏͏ of͏͏ which͏͏ ventured͏͏ into͏͏ the͏͏ fashion͏͏ category͏͏ earlier͏͏ this͏͏ year,͏͏ sell͏͏ products͏͏ from͏͏ brands͏͏ such͏͏ as͏͏ Adidas,͏͏ Pepe,͏͏ FabIndia,͏͏ Jockey,͏͏ Boldfit,͏͏ XYXX,͏͏ Paragon,͏͏ Liberty,͏͏ and͏͏ more.
“Fashion͏͏ in͏͏ quick͏͏ commerce͏͏ has͏͏ primarily͏͏ focused͏͏ on͏͏ what͏͏ consumers͏͏ might͏͏ need͏͏ within͏͏ 10͏͏ minutes,͏͏ which͏͏ limits͏͏ the͏͏ range͏͏ of͏͏ use͏͏ cases.͏͏ This͏͏ suggests͏͏ that͏͏ dark͏͏ stores͏͏ don’t͏͏ need͏͏ to͏͏ stock͏͏ a͏͏ wide͏͏ variety͏͏ of͏͏ SKUs.͏͏ However,͏͏ this͏͏ could͏͏ change͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ future,͏͏ particularly͏͏ during͏͏ festivals͏͏ when͏͏ seasonal͏͏ items͏͏ like͏͏ kurtas,͏͏ saris,͏͏ and͏͏ ethnic͏͏ bottoms͏͏ see͏͏ increased͏͏ demand,”͏͏ stated͏͏ a͏͏ senior͏͏ quick͏͏ commerce͏͏ executive.
The͏͏ rapid͏͏ delivery͏͏ of͏͏ fashion͏͏ is͏͏ also͏͏ gaining͏͏ traction͏͏ beyond͏͏ the͏͏ major͏͏ quick͏͏ commerce͏͏ players.
Bengaluru-based͏͏ startup͏͏ Slikk,͏͏ which͏͏ provides͏͏ 60-minute͏͏ deliveries͏͏ of͏͏ a͏͏ diverse͏͏ range͏͏ of͏͏ fashion͏͏ items͏͏ including͏͏ shirts,͏͏ jackets,͏͏ hoodies,͏͏ trousers,͏͏ track͏͏ pants,͏͏ co-ords,͏͏ women’s͏͏ dresses,͏͏ and͏͏ nightwear,͏͏ has͏͏ raised͏͏ $300,000͏͏ in͏͏ seed͏͏ funding͏͏ from͏͏ Vaibhav͏͏ Domkundwar’s͏͏ Better͏͏ Capital.͏͏ The͏͏ funds͏͏ will͏͏ be͏͏ used͏͏ to͏͏ establish͏͏ large-format͏͏ dark͏͏ stores͏͏ and͏͏ expand͏͏ its͏͏ brand͏͏ offerings.
