Consequences of Faster Delivery on the Fashion Retail E-Commerce

From Myntra to AJIO, quick delivery is literally rewriting the rules of the fashion retail industry. Recently, Myntra announced M-Now — its 30-minute delivery service — creating a high-voltage buzz across the online retail spectrum.  Increasing demand for faster deliveries indicates a significant change in consumer expectations nationwide.

Earlier in 2016, online shopping would typically result in a minimum of one or two days’ delivery. Then, quick commerce originated, and consumers worldwide enjoyed not only quick grocery delivery but also the delivery of nearly any item imaginable, like smartphones, handbags, cosmetics, electronics, or home appliances. It led to a huge change in customer expectations; people now want everything delivered in minutes. This is the key reason why most e-commerce platforms are now venturing into the quick delivery space.

Myntra's M-Now provides the fastest 30-minute fashion delivery

Flipkart-owned Myntra’s M-Now is a quick-commerce service that promises delivery of fashion, beauty, accessories, and home products within 30 minutes. M-Now currently provides access to over 10,000 styles in Delhi NCR after a successful launch in Bengaluru.

According to Ankit Dua, Senior Director at Myntra, “The response to M-Now has been extremely encouraging, with strong traction across categories such as apparel, beauty and personal care, watches, footwear, and home products.” 

AJIO, Nykaa, Amazon and Flipkart join the race

Following the successful response, now AJIO, Nykaa Fashion, Amazon, and Flipkart are also venturing into the fast delivery sector.

AJIO is currently offering ‘Priority Delivery’ in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai for a wide range of international and private brands, as well as in-house brands, with a commitment to same-day or next-day delivery.

Amazon offers ‘Same-Day Delivery’ in over 50 cities across India for some products, depending on location.

Flipkart, in early 2024, introduced ‘Same-Day Delivery’ in 20 major cities.

Nykaareported that 70% of orders from its top 110 cities are now eligible for same-day or next-day delivery in its quarterly results.  

Prompt delivery leads to reduced return rates

Some reports claim that due to quick delivery, Fashion e-commerce is also seeing a drop in returns. Returns have noticeably dipped since the launch of quick delivery service, as many times, same-day orders are placed for immediate plans, which means customers are more likely to be available to receive them — reducing failed delivery attempts, and are more likely to avoid returns in emergency cases.

The road ahead

·As more and more consumers shift towards quick commerce, the fashion industry must be prepared to adapt.

·Q-commerce platforms tailored for grocery delivery could face challenges in addressing the specific requirements of the fashion industry.

·With faster delivery — the ecommerce retailer must understand what consumers want, when they want it, and how they want it presented.

Final Verdict

It’s a total game-changer for the retail online business.

The hyper-speed model enables the platform to respond quickly to time-sensitive and topical requirements—whether it's dressing up for a party, getting ready for an office meeting, festive merchandise shopping, buying cricket jerseys during match season, or finding travel essentials for an immediate holiday plan.

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