Amazon has announced it is ending its ‘Try Before You Buy’ program that allowed shoppers to try clothes, shoes, and accessories before buying them.
Try Before You Buy was first introduced in 2017, under the name Prime Wardrobe, and was an Amazon Prime-exclusive feature. As pointed out by CNBC the service was similar to Rent the Runway, Stitch Fix, and similar services. Amazon has posted a notice at the top of the Try Before Your Buy webpage informing users that it is ending.
Prime Try Before You Buy will end on 01/31/2025. Shop Amazon Fashion to find our full selection of fashion items.
In a statement to CNBC, Amazon said AI-powered features have largely made Try Before You Buy redundant.
“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, effective January 31, 2025,” a spokesperson told CNBC.
Try Before You Buy’s demise is not unexpected, especially given CEO Andy Jassy’s efforts to streamline the company and reduce costs. Since taking over as CEO, Jassy has made clear that unpopular and unprofitable services will not be allowed to continue being a drain on the company.
As Amazon’s statement makes clear, there were issues scaling the service to a large number of customers. Combined with the abilities AI provides, Try Before You Buy’s fate was sealed.