Being an Amazon Prime Member comes with a host of benefits, including next-day delivery, early access to lightning deals and exclusive discounts. However, the company announced on Monday, January 13, that it will be discontinuing one of its most popular services.
Members’ ability to place orders using their subscriber benefit of ‘Try Before You Buy’ will be terminated at the end of this month. This feature allows shoppers to try on selected clothing, accessories, and shoes before purchasing them, and it will end on January 31.
The company has confirmed that this service will now be phased out due to its limited reach and the increasing use of AI features for trying on clothes. The feature was first introduced in 2018, after being tested through a feature called Prime Wardrobe in 2017.
‘Try Before You Buy’ was designed to address common online shopping concerns – will it fit and will it suit me?
The feature allowed paying members to select up to six items, which were part of the scheme, from their extensive range of shoes and clothing, reports the Daily Record.
The Try Before You Buy feature was first launched in 2018
(Image: Getty Images)
The items would then be sent to the customers at no additional cost, where they would have a seven-day try-on period. Customers could then choose to return the item without being charged.
Many people used this perk to try on different sizes of the same item.
A spokesperson from Amazon has stated: “Given the combination of Try Before You Buy only scaling to a limited number of items and customers increasingly using our new AI-powered features like virtual try-on, personalized size recommendations, review highlights, and improved size charts to make sure they find the right fit, we’re phasing out the Try Before You Buy option.”
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Reddit users have been vocal about their reactions to the discontinuation of this service. One user commented: “That’s such a bummer, but I’m not surprised. It’s seemed harder to find on their app every time I’ve used it over the last year or two, and I’m sure it was abused.”
They added: “I’ll miss the option to use it for shoes – that’s really where I found it the most helpful.”
Another individual is relieved to see it go, saying: “Good, it was a stupid scheme. I don’t know how it worked in the US but in the UK it was pointless – while you didn’t pay for all the items a hold was put on your card for the full amount, then you had to wait days after items were sent back before the hold was lifted – it was actually easier to pay for everything and then get a refund for items not needed.”
Yet, another person expressed regret: “It’s too bad the feature is disappearing. I used it many times to try on clothing.”