Amazon is discontinuing its Prime Try Before You Buy service, which allowed members to order and try on clothing before paying, as the ecommerce giant continues to streamline operations and reduce returns.

The service, which launched in 2017 as Prime Wardrobe, will cease operations on 31 January 2025, according to notices sent to US customers. The programme enabled Prime members to order up to six items of clothing, shoes, and accessories, try them on at home, and only pay for items they decided to keep.

An Amazon spokesperson explained the decision, citing the limited scope of the service and changing customer behaviour: "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, personalised 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."

The closure marks another step in Amazon chief executive officer Andy Jassy's broader cost-cutting initiatives. Since 2022, the company has undertaken significant restructuring, including the largest layoffs in its history with over 27,000 job cuts. The company has also shuttered various experimental projects, including a rapid brick-and-mortar delivery service and its telehealth offering.

The move comes as Amazon has been working to reduce the frequency of returns across its ecommerce business, which saw a significant increase during the pandemic. While Prime members will still be able to return clothing items through the standard returns process, the company has implemented penalties for customers who make frequent returns.

Amazon will continue to offer its standard clothing purchase options through its fashion homepage, with the company emphasising its investment in AI-powered shopping tools. These include virtual try-on features that allow customers to visualise shoes using smartphone cameras, and machine learning systems that provide personalised size recommendations based on customer reviews.

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