There’s nothing worse than ordering an outfit online, only to find out a few days later that it doesn’t fit.
In an effort to compete with successful personalized shopping programs like Trunk Club, Le Tote, and Stitch Fix, Amazon has officially launched Prime Wardrobe, a new program that allows their customers to try on clothing at home and decide which items to keep and which items to send back.
We know personalized shopping is a proven concept – but how will Prime shoppers respond? Can we expect the same enthusiasm?
Let’s dive in and find out more about Amazon’s latest shopping program!
Prime Wardrobe is a Prime-exclusive program where you can try before you buy from eligible items across women’s, men’s, kids’, and baby clothing, shoes, and accessories.
According to Amazon, you get seven days to try the items at home and you will only be charged for the items you decide to keep.
Although the program was initially announced last summer, as of June 2018 – it is now available to all Amazon Prime members (Amazon Prime paid and 30-day trial memberships and Amazon Prime Student paid and six-month trial memberships), and members of their Amazon Household.
Keep in mind, members with Prime Video-only subscriptions and invited guests who receive only shipping benefits from another Prime member do not have access to Prime Wardrobe.
How Does Prime Wardrobe Work?
Step 1: Add Prime Wardrobe items to your Prime Wardrobe Cart.
Prime members can add a minimum of three items and a maximum of eight items with the Prime Wardrobe icon: to their cart.
Pro-Tip: You cannot add more than one exact item at a time to a single order (i.e., same size and color). There is no minimum dollar threshold for a Prime Wardrobe order.
Step 2: Place your Prime Wardrobe order.
Keep in mind this checkout will be separate from the regular checkout for other items on Amazon.com, but as seen in the example below, the process is similar.
Step 3: Wait for your wardrobe.
Typically, orders will arrive in 4-6 business days (keep in mind this is a longer expected delivery time than most 2-day shipping Prime items). Once the items arrive, you have 7 days to try-on all the items in your order and decide what your will keep or send back.
Pro-Tip: The reason Amazon cannot ship these items within 2 days is because they prefer to ship the order in as few boxes as possible.
Step 4: Check out and let us know what you’re keeping.
Within the 7-day period you can access your order in Your Orders and mark what you’re keeping and returning.
Pro-Tip: You can only checkout once. If you change your mind, Amazon states:
- Marked keep on something you want to return: Request return in for a purchased item in the Online Return Center.
- Marked return on something you want to keep: Keep the item, and Amazon will charge you when we do not receive it.
At the end of your Prime Wardrobe try-on period you are charged for the full value of your order if you haven’t completed checkout by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.
Step 5: If you decide you don’t like the item(s) that were sent you can return what didn’t work out.
Any items you decided not to purchase must be placed in the resealable Prime Wardrobe box or bag using the enclosed, adhesive prepaid return label. Prime members have until the end of the try-on period to postmark returns at the UPS drop off location of your choice.
Step 6: Confirm the unwanted items have been returned.
Prime Wardrobe will send an email to notify when all your return items have been received. If you’d like to track the process of your return package, you can visit amazon.com/returns to view return status.
Expert Insight on Amazon Prime Wardrobe
We spoke with David Cooley at CPC Strategy who recently tested out the new Prime Wardrobe program.
“Once you select your category of interest (men, women, baby, etc) Amazon takes you to a page with various products grouped together by brand, style, or occasion. In many ways, this page is similar to the experience you would get on a brand’s Amazon Store.”
Cooley ordered 6 apparel items total via Prime wardrobe – mostly shirts.
“Unfortunately, Amazon would not allow me to order the same shirt & color in various sizes. Once I selected my 6 items I was directed to the checkout page, which is separate from my normal Amazon checkout,” Cooley said.
“At the time of the order placement, my credit card was only charged $1 (to verify it was a valid card) and a few days later, my items arrived. Ultimately, I decided to keep half of the items I ordered and sent the rest back to Amazon using the prepaid reusable bag provided.”
“Overall, the process was easy. Besides the color & size limitations, the experience was a success and I will likely use Prime Wardrobe again.”
When it comes to buying apparel online, customers have a lot of hangups – the biggest being “fit”.
“With apparel, I want the items I order to fit right. Each brand has their own unique cut, set of styles, and sizing charts – so it’s really helpful when I’m shopping a brand I haven’t worn before to be able to try on the product before making a commitment to purchase,” Cooley said.
The biggest difference between Prime Wardrobe and other personalized apparel subscription models is you’re not relying on a stylist to send you clothes – you can pick out exactly what you want.
“Amazon has always been really good with returns and putting the customer first – this program makes it even more hassle free. In a sense – you get to try out the product BEFORE Amazon actually charges you for it.”
“Ultimately, I think this program is going to increase buyer confidence. Knowing you can return the product (and you won’t be charged for the purchase) means customers are much more likely to convert.”
Frequently Asked Questions About Prime Wardrobe:
Here’s a few frequently asked questions about the program so far. All responses below are provided by Amazon.
Q. Are there any special discounts associated with Prime Wardrobe?
On occasion, Amazon may extend special offers to Prime Wardrobe customers. If they are running a Prime Wardrobe promotion, but there is a better Amazon promotion available at the time of your initial order placement or at checkout, you will receive the better discount.
When there is not a Prime Wardrobe–specific promotion running, Amazon will honor other Amazon promotions relevant to the items in your cart at the time of initial order placement or at checkout. Discounts cannot be combined, but you will always receive the best of any applicable discounts.
Q. Can I ship more than one Prime Wardrobe order at a time?
No, you can only have one Prime Wardrobe order shipped to you at a time. You will not be able to ship another Prime Wardrobe order unless you purchase all items in your box, or Amazon has received the items you decided not to keep. Please go to the Returns Center, then ‘Manage returns’ to track your return.
Q. Can I wear the clothes and then send them back?
You can try everything on at home, but do not wear the clothes out unless you intend to purchase them. Items must be returned with tags on and in their original packaging, including: hangers, polybags, shoe boxes, dust bags, and gift boxes. Items must be unused, unworn, unwashed, and undamaged.
When Amazon receives a return, they will determine in our sole discretion if the products are in acceptable condition as specified in the Amazon Fashion returns policy. If returned products are determined by Amazon not to be in acceptable condition, Amazon may in their sole discretion charge you the purchase price and ship the products back to you to keep.
Q. What if I want to return something after the 7-day try-on period?
If you change your mind, or if you have been automatically charged for items at the end of the try-on period that you did not intend to keep, you will still have 30 days from the end of the try-on period to return the items to Amazon for a refund.
The items will be subject to the same Amazon Fashion 30-day return policy (Items must be returned in their original packaging, including: hangers, polybags, hang tags on garments, shoe boxes, dust bags, and gift boxes. Items must be unused, unworn, unwashed, and undamaged).
For more information on Amazon Prime Wardrobe, email [email protected]