It’s not that many years ago that e-tailers were introducing ‘try before you buy’ as a way to sell more fashion, but the e-commerce world has change a lot post-pandemic and now Amazon has said it’s phasing out its ‘try before you buy’ scheme.

The benefit has been available to Prime subscribers who could order multiple items without having to worry about paying upfront for pieces they’d ultimately return. They could order up to six items and keep them for up to seven days before returning any they didn’t want.

So why has Amazon changed its approach? The company said the option was only available for “a limited number of items” and that its customers are “increasingly using our new AI-powered features like virtual try-on, personalised size recommendations, review highlights, and improved size charts to make sure they find the right fit”.

E-tailers have been tightening their online returns policies in recent years. Since the boom days just before and during the pandemic, fashion e-commecre has had a tough time and the high level of returns is one area they’ve turned their attention to. Their stricter approach has put try before you buy in the firing line. 

But as Amazon said, AI advances have also made virtual try on (VTO) an increasingly popular option for customers.

Aviram Ganor, general manager, EMEA at fraud management and risk intelligence platform Riskified, told FashionNetwork.com that the trend is definitely moving away from try before you buy: “Amazon’s decision represents part of a broader trend of re-evaluation of return policies across the retail sector as businesses tackle challenges such as return fraud and policy abuse. Rising return rates and operational costs have led many businesses to see more traditional, generous approaches to returns as unsustainable, with abuse of returns policies alone costing global retailers $30billion in 2023, according to Riskified research.

“Creating more restrictive returns policies, though, is a double edged sword: while it can mitigate fraud, it also risks alienating loyal customers and eroding brand loyalty. It’s therefore critical that businesses are able to navigate these challenges and combat fraud without punishing those customers who follow the rules. In order to do this, retailers should look at a third way, such as using AI-powered systems to tailor returns policies at the individual level by analysing customer behaviour and transaction patterns. This allows retailers to precisely target fraudulent activity without penalising loyal, trustworthy shoppers. With fraud becoming more sophisticated through tools like generative AI and more widely across the Dark Web, a targeted and personalised approach to fraud prevention reduces fraud-related losses, strengthens customer loyalty, and ensures a more sustainable and profitable returns process.”