Myntra changes app-only mantra, goes back to desktops
FollowIt’s been barely a year since fashion e-commerce retailer Myntra decided to go app only. It was a decision taken after Flipkart took over the online fashion retailer, and many suspected it was a testing bed for Flipkart to see what worked in the online market.
That test certainly seems to have failed as, after an unprecedented loss of ₹740 crore in the FY15 and subsequent developments, Myntra has now decided to get back to their desktop version from June 1 this year.
Soon after Myntra went app-only, the e-commerce retailer reportedly lost a considerable number of customers and this also led to the growth rate of the company going down.
This will help us bring back customers, help women shop more on different screens and suit our newly launched furnishing and jewellery categories
In an attempt to dominate the mobile app-commerce, Myntra, owned by India’s largest e-commerce firm Flipkart, shut its mobile website in March 2015 and closed down its desktop website in May 2015. Myntra in May reported a 10% dip in sales merely weeks after its decision to go off the PC.
With the return of the website, Myntra expects to boost at least 15-20% of its sales in this financial year. “This will help us bring back customers, help women shop more on different screens and suit our newly launched furnishing and jewellery categories,” said Ananth Narayanan, CEO of Myntra.
Investors and business analysts have maintained that Myntra’s app only decision was a mistake. Harish H.V., partner with consulting firm Grant Thornton India Llp said, “Users in India still depend on large screens to shop online, a major chunk of these are office-going people. An app-only strategy has made e-commerce sites lose customer volumes which, in a market like India, is crucial.”
