Myntra inches towards becoming a mobile-only retailer

Leading online fashion e-retailer Myntra, which was acquired by Flipkart last year, will stop selling on its website from May 1. This is part of its plan to become a completely mobile-based retailer. Sources claim that even Flipkart aims to follow Myntra, if it succeeds with its experiment.

Both Flipkart and Myntra have already shut their mobile websites directing visitors to their apps. According to sources, the company aims to launch a 360-degree advertising and marketing campaign to announce its mobile app-only presence. Currently, Myntra witnesses around 80 percent of its traffic and 70 percent of sales driven by its mobile app. Flipkart also gets 60 percent of sales through its mobile app.

As per a recent Morgan Stanley report, online shopper penetration (as a percentage of internet users) in India is expected to increase from 9 percent in 2013 to 36 percent in 2020, primarily led by mobile users. With mobile usage increasing, advertisement costs (primarily search engine optimization) are declining as traffic is increasing either directly to the website or through a mobile app. This is also increasing customer stickiness as once an app has been downloaded, customers generally visit that website before visiting any other site, the report said.