Myntra to relaunch desktop site a year after going mobile-only
After a year of becoming an app-only fashion retailer Myntra is going back to launching its desktop website, in what stands to be a significant development for the e-commerce industry. The move is indicative of how the mobile-only strategy, a first for any e-tailer, pushed by Myntra and its Bangalore-based parent company Flipkart did not yield desired results. The desktop site is likely to be rolled out on June 1, a company official confirmed when queried by TOI.
Having begun its transition from desktop to mobile, as reported by TOI first in February 2015, Myntra was looking to phase out its web presence gradually over the course of the year. Encouraged by the exponential growth of mobile internet in the country, the move was hastened by months and by May of last year, the fashion e-tailer had shuttered both its desktop and mobile sites.
The ensuing months witnessed a drop in traffic and sales as consumers did not transition to buying over apps as easily as expected by the company. While people browse on their smartphones, not all of those customers install apps despite e-commerce players doling out offers exclusively on their app. This was also the time when Flipkart shut its mobile website and was planning to follow suit and become app-only. But seeing that the move hadn't gone too well, Myntra re-introduced its mobile website by December 2015 as a pilot and formally launched it in February this year.
Ananth Narayanan, Myntra's CEO said the decision to revert to having a desktop presence was due to customers wanting to have a choice. "It was a bold experiment, but all such moves are not right and we accept that. There is a segment of Indian consumers which is looking to make purchases over desktops and we wanted to give them the choice."
Narayanan said Myntra's app had gained on the back of the company's decision of going mobile-only as it now has far superior engagement features and offers an overall better user experience.
When Myntra's shut its web presence it was drawing as much as 80% of its traffic and 70% of sales from its mobile app. The fashion etailer which was bought by cross-town rival Flipkart in 2014 clocked a revenue of Rs 758 crore during the financial year 2014-15 with its losses inching to as much as Rs 740 crore , documents filed with the registrar of companies (RoC) said.
The exuberance around going mobile-only was at its peak last year. Younger startups began operations as mobile-only platforms, a shift from the concept of mobile-first adopted by the first wave on tech companies. The surge in Indians accessing internet on their mobiles has been prodigious in the past few years. According to the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) mobile internet users in India grew from 173 million in December 2014 to 213 million by the end of June 2014 and that number is expected to go up to 314 million by 2017.
Aab Aaya Uth Pahad Ke Niche
:lol
After a year of becoming an app-only fashion retailer Myntra is going back to launching its desktop website, in what stands to be a significant development for the e-commerce industry. The move is indicative of how the mobile-only strategy, a first for any e-tailer, pushed by Myntra and its Bangalore-based parent company Flipkart did not yield desired results. The desktop site is likely to be rolled out on June 1, a company official confirmed when queried by TOI.
Having begun its transition from desktop to mobile, as reported by TOI first in February 2015, Myntra was looking to phase out its web presence gradually over the course of the year. Encouraged by the exponential growth of mobile internet in the country, the move was hastened by months and by May of last year, the fashion e-tailer had shuttered both its desktop and mobile sites.
The ensuing months witnessed a drop in traffic and sales as consumers did not transition to buying over apps as easily as expected by the company. While people browse on their smartphones, not all of those customers install apps despite e-commerce players doling out offers exclusively on their app. This was also the time when Flipkart shut its mobile website and was planning to follow suit and become app-only. But seeing that the move hadn't gone too well, Myntra re-introduced its mobile website by December 2015 as a pilot and formally launched it in February this year.
Ananth Narayanan, Myntra's CEO said the decision to revert to having a desktop presence was due to customers wanting to have a choice. "It was a bold experiment, but all such moves are not right and we accept that. There is a segment of Indian consumers which is looking to make purchases over desktops and we wanted to give them the choice."
Narayanan said Myntra's app had gained on the back of the company's decision of going mobile-only as it now has far superior engagement features and offers an overall better user experience.
When Myntra's shut its web presence it was drawing as much as 80% of its traffic and 70% of sales from its mobile app. The fashion etailer which was bought by cross-town rival Flipkart in 2014 clocked a revenue of Rs 758 crore during the financial year 2014-15 with its losses inching to as much as Rs 740 crore , documents filed with the registrar of companies (RoC) said.
The exuberance around going mobile-only was at its peak last year. Younger startups began operations as mobile-only platforms, a shift from the concept of mobile-first adopted by the first wave on tech companies. The surge in Indians accessing internet on their mobiles has been prodigious in the past few years. According to the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) mobile internet users in India grew from 173 million in December 2014 to 213 million by the end of June 2014 and that number is expected to go up to 314 million by 2017.
Aab Aaya Uth Pahad Ke Niche
:lol
