Amazon has one out of three customers for fashion

One out of almost three new customers comes to Amazon’s India site to buy fashion. During the Great Indian Sale apparel was the single largest category on the platform, ahead of mobile phones, the traditional top seller. And fashion was the second largest category for new customer acquisition during the sale.

Fashion is also a high-margin, high repeat purchase rate category, unlike mobile phones, which offer low margins, and customers replace their phone only after around a year.

This focus right from when Amazon launched in India in 2013 has shown results. Fashion was Amazon India’s fastest growing category, with 78 per cent growth in 2016 over the previous year.

Amazon India hosts 15,000 brands and over two million products. In 2016 Amazon Fashion inked deals with over 150 top fashion brands, including Aeropostale, Emporio Armani, Armani Exchange and Versus by Versace. This year, the company bagged exclusive partnerships with US brands Gap and Under Armour, among others.

Amazon also has entered into partnerships with Indian designers including Tarun Tahiliani, Monisha Jaysingh and Manish Arora. Of the top 100 brands, 50 launched their summer collections first on Amazon. Evolved customers, especially in women’s fashion more than men’s, are looking for the latest styles, seasonal colors, fabrics, designs and trends.