Fashion e-commerce giant taps deeper into regional markets

By Siddhi Jain

New Delhi, Aug 29  With a strong focus on making fashion accessible and affordable, especially in the regional markets of India – from where it derives over half its consumer demand – Amazon Fashion says the country’s fashion retail had been focused on metropolitan cities, but there are many opportunities to take it to smaller towns and cities.

The e-commerce giant has recently partnered with Easybuy, a value fashion retail brand, that was launched four years ago with an aim to make fashion affordable for those who seek stylish apparel at minimum prices across Tier II and III cities, as well as metros. Using Easybuy’s 100-per cent-Indian vendor network and regional market reach, the brand aims to tap into the fashion aspirations of an increasingly-globalised non-urban consumer base.

“We have seen an increased penetration in Tier II and Tier III cities. Even today, more than 60 per cent of our customers come from these locations. Fashion is a big focus for us. Fashion is a strategically important category for Amazon in India, simply because it is important in our customers’ lives. We have different fashion aesthetics, different choices and different choices of brands but all of us like to curate how we look. When you look at premium in India, there’s a lot of opportunities in making it accessible. So far, it has been concentrated in metro cities,” Mayank Shivam, Director – Strategic Initiatives, Amazon Fashion India told IANSlife.

Anand Aiyer, Senior Vice President and Business Head, Easybuy, shares similar sentiments about the fashion divide of India. He says that because the metro cities are saturated with a number of brands, and neo-India wants great fashion at affordable prices, the lack of variety in merchandise leads the customer to online e-commerce.

The launch of Easybuy on Amazon Fashion originates from the brand’s view of expanding its customer reach online across India for value fashion. Its aim is to offer “super styles” at “super prices” to its customers. The entire collection on the platform has over 2,000 styles, priced from Rs 69 to Rs 699 that features apparel selections for men and women across tops, t-shirts, dresses, jeans, trousers, shirts and also kid’s wear.

The launch offers convenient free-shipping options for all customers and the entire selection will be Amazon Prime- enabled, giving customers access to free shipping and more, across India. Despite the regional focus, the brand’s shopping site is available in English and Hindi as of now, while its customer support services are available in five languages.

It is, however, not just fashion e-commerce that’s steering deeper towards the digital mode, but also the fashion runway. Amazon, which was the title sponsor of a leading fashion week till 2018, says its focus right now is on its customers and sellers’ businesses, as it remain on the lookout for engaging ways in which to connect with consumers.