Rapid fashion delivery gathers pace, but long-term viability in question

Time of India

2 days ago

New-age brands like
Newme
, Slikk and Blipp, as well as ecommerce platforms such as Myntra, Ajio and
Nykaa
are all exploring
ultra-fast delivery
for fashion and apparel. The latest to join the race is Bengaluru-based D2C brand Snitch. Its founder Siddharth Dungarwal told ET that the company has launched a pilot project for its own
quick fashion delivery
service in
Bengaluru
last week.
Seeing the rush, venture capitalists are betting on the segment. Slikk, which promises delivery within 60 minutes, recently raised $10 million (about Rs 85 crore) in a round led by Nexus Venture Partners. Snitch has raised as much as $40 million from 360 One Asset, with the proceeds to be used for expanding its offline retail presence to more than 100 stores by the end of 2025 and entering
quick commerce
.
Some industry insiders believe this may be another overhyped extension of the quick commerce narrative.
The model is new and comes with its own set of challenges.
The push towards rapid delivery began with quick commerce platforms like Zepto, Swiggy Instamart and Blinkit expanding the categories of products they deliver. These platforms, which were initially focusing on grocery delivery, partnered with brands like Jockey, Manyavar, Puma and Adidas to offer apparel and accessories, although limited to essentials such as innerwear, socks, gym wear, basic tees and track pants. This opened up a gap for fashion-first players to offer broader selections with quick fulfilment.
'Fashion is an experiential category. The supply chain required for fashion and lifestyle is far more complex than grocery,' said Akshay Gulati, cofounder and chief executive of Slikk. 'I'm not sure how a grocery-first platform can scale and solve for this category in depth.'
Predicting demand in real time
Keeping up with ever-changing fashion preferences is another major hurdle. Brands say accurately forecasting demand — sometimes before customers themselves know what they want — is critical.
Many startups are leaning on proprietary AI models and data science teams to stay ahead. These tools help analyse social media chatter, search trends and buying patterns to identify what is likely to trend next.
Newme, for instance, has built a dedicated data science team that uses these insights to drive design and inventory decisions, cofounder Sumit Jasoria told ET.
Cautionary signs
Despite the buzz, challenges persist. One of them is customer behaviour. While there's early interest in fast delivery, shoppers tend to play it safe.
Dungarwal said although customers initially showed enthusiasm when Snitch joined platforms like Myntra's M-Now, Slikk and Knot, many reverted to buying only wardrobe basics such as black t-shirts or shirts via these services. 'We've done multiple polls with consumers. Most of them said they don't buy clothes last-minute unless they have a sudden plan or urgent need,' he said.
Another issue is forecasting fashion demand at a hyperlocal level. 'If a brand misjudges demand at the pin code level, it will be stuck with unsold inventory,' said a Bengaluru-based industry expert. 'Liquidating it will mean additional cost.'
Returns are another pain point. Sizing, fit and comfort issues lead to high return rates in fashion, and rapid delivery doesn't solve for that. 'These platforms are burning money to process returns, which can go as high as 35-40%,' the expert added.
The rapid fashion model is still in its early days. While there's excitement around it, the real test will be how brands manage inventory, reduce returns and drive consistent demand without compromising margins, say industry experts.