Why Amazon wants to discontinue 'Try Before You Buy' service
What's the story
Amazon will discontinue its 'Try Before You Buy' service for Prime members in the US starting January 31. The move was first reported by The Information and later confirmed via an official announcement on the Prime Try Before You Buy webpage. Launched as Prime Wardrobe in 2018, the service enabled users to pick up to six items for a trial period before making the purchase.
Return policy
Service offered free returns within a week
The 'Try Before You Buy' service offered customers the flexibility of returning unwanted items within a week, without any additional cost. They were only billed for the items they chose to keep after the trial period. The facility was available on a select range of products including clothes, shoes, jewelry, and accessories.
Reason
Amazon cites limited scalability and AI adoption
In a statement to CNBC, an Amazon spokesperson detailed the reasons behind discontinuing the service. The representative said that owing to its limited scalability and customers' increasing preference for new AI-powered facilities like virtual try-on, personalized size recommendations, review highlights, and improved size charts, they have decided to phase out the 'Try Before You Buy' option.