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Myntra to return to web presence
02 Dec '15
2 min read
Barely six months after it adopted an app-only platform, online fashion retailer Myntra, plans to revive its website for shoppers by January to tap more users, according to media reports.
This decision of Myntra to return to the website format, while continuing with the app offering, is along the lines of its parent company, Flipkart, which chose not to lose the growing number of users who search online for deals.
Myntra has declined comment on the development. Currently, their website redirects users to download its app from the respective app stores of Google, Apple and Microsoft.
Myntra closed down its desktop site and moved completely to an app-only platform on May 15. This meant users had no choice but to download their app. This decision was taken based on the company’s quick growth of smartphones as it claimed 95 per cent of its Internet traffic came through mobile and 70 per cent sales were generated through smartphones.
However, Myntra never disclosed the ratio of users via its app and mobile site. It did expect initial turmoil of about 15 to 20 per cent, but believed that would settle down eventually. But seemingly, that strategy hasn’t worked and it’s now trying to cope with loss of traffic and dip in sales, one website reported.
There’s more than one reason why a mobile site makes more sense rather than going app-only. Not surprisingly, Flipkart and Snapdeal recently released lite mobile versions of their respective sites. So, a lite version of Myntra could well be a possibility.
According to the report, although smartphones are heading towards a full-fledged mobile world, Myntra’s shift to app-only platform seemed abrupt rather than a gradual one as Indian consumers were seemingly unready to completely abandon shopping from their PCs or mobile browsers. For those consumers (whether small or large) comfortable with a desktop or mobile browser should be allowed to do so. Getting too restrictive could only mean people will start looking for more convenient options.
One of the biggest hurdles for a mobile-only experience is the not-so-stable mobile Internet network in India. There is no denying that this is one of the biggest reasons why industry giants from Google to Facebook are working towards a ‘lite’ version. (SH)
This decision of Myntra to return to the website format, while continuing with the app offering, is along the lines of its parent company, Flipkart, which chose not to lose the growing number of users who search online for deals.
Myntra has declined comment on the development. Currently, their website redirects users to download its app from the respective app stores of Google, Apple and Microsoft.
Myntra closed down its desktop site and moved completely to an app-only platform on May 15. This meant users had no choice but to download their app. This decision was taken based on the company’s quick growth of smartphones as it claimed 95 per cent of its Internet traffic came through mobile and 70 per cent sales were generated through smartphones.
However, Myntra never disclosed the ratio of users via its app and mobile site. It did expect initial turmoil of about 15 to 20 per cent, but believed that would settle down eventually. But seemingly, that strategy hasn’t worked and it’s now trying to cope with loss of traffic and dip in sales, one website reported.
There’s more than one reason why a mobile site makes more sense rather than going app-only. Not surprisingly, Flipkart and Snapdeal recently released lite mobile versions of their respective sites. So, a lite version of Myntra could well be a possibility.
According to the report, although smartphones are heading towards a full-fledged mobile world, Myntra’s shift to app-only platform seemed abrupt rather than a gradual one as Indian consumers were seemingly unready to completely abandon shopping from their PCs or mobile browsers. For those consumers (whether small or large) comfortable with a desktop or mobile browser should be allowed to do so. Getting too restrictive could only mean people will start looking for more convenient options.
One of the biggest hurdles for a mobile-only experience is the not-so-stable mobile Internet network in India. There is no denying that this is one of the biggest reasons why industry giants from Google to Facebook are working towards a ‘lite’ version. (SH)
Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India
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