December 02, 2022

Amazon Prime Wardrobe - What Is It and Do You Need It as a Seller?

Online shopping is a part of life for many people these days. It's so easy and convenient that it's hard to resist the temptation to buy things we may not need. As of 2021, most online purchases are made through online marketplaces. Ranked #1 on the global ranking of online retail websites for traffic is none other than Amazon.

Thanks to the internet, we can order almost anything, and Amazon delivers right to our doorstep. But what if you're not sure about a purchase? What if you want to try something on before you buy it? That's where Prime Wardrobe comes in.

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What Is Prime Wardrobe?

The easiest way to explain is that Wardrobe is an Amazon Prime try before you buy concept - in fact, they officially changed the name from Wardrobe to Prime Try Before You Buy. It’s a new program from Amazon that allows customers to order clothes, shoes, and accessories without paying for them upfront.

Think about Amazon Prime Wardrobe as a real-life fitting room that goes to your customers. Customers order items they’re interested in, and Amazon delivers them to their doorstep. They then have a week to try on the items and decide which ones they want to keep and which ones they want to return.

If customers decide to keep an item, they pay for it immediately. If they decide to return an item, they simply place it back in the box it came in and schedule a pickup. Amazon then comes to their house and picks up the returned items.

How Does Amazon Wardrobe Work?

As an Amazon seller, you can take advantage of this new program by signing up for it. Doing so will allow your products to be included in the Prime Wardrobe selection.

But wait! There's more. With the Personal Shopper feature, Amazon will hand-pick items for Prime members based on their style and preferences and send them a box to try on at home.

Personal Shopper by Prime Wardrobe

Ever seen those personal shopper or stylist services at high-end department stores or stores like TopShop? Amazon offers a similar service online at just $4.99 upon sign-up for Prime members.

With this new service, members take a quick style survey about their style, and a stylist picks out a selection of curated items for the member to try at home. Stylists come from a variety of backgrounds, including fashion, retail, styling, and creative fields. Using technology and human touch, the stylist selects items based on the customer’s style, fit, and budget preferences. Here’s what happens next:

  1. The customer picks up to eight favorites from the stylist's picks.
  2. Amazon packs the items in a special resealable box with a prepaid shipping label.
  3. Customers try on items and return what they don't like.
  4. Amazon charges them only for the items they keep.

Those using the service can submit monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly styling requests and cancel anytime.

What’s the Amazon Wardrobe Return Policy?

The Prime Wardrobe return policy is pretty straightforward. If the shopper is unhappy with an item, they have seven days to return it for free. They can either return the items by scheduling a pickup with Amazon or dropping it off at a USPS location.

How to Get Started with Prime Wardrobe

Wondering how to use Prime Wardrobe for sellers? Here’s a step-by-step guide:

  1. Log into your Seller Central account.
  2. Click on “Inventory” and then select “Manage Inventory.”
  3. Find the product you want to enroll in Prime Wardrobe
  4. Click on the checkbox next to it. You can enroll up to 500 products at a time.
  5. Click on the “Actions” dropdown menu and select “Edit.”
  6. In the “Shipping Speeds” section, select “Prime Wardrobe-eligible – Ships in 1 to 4 days.”
  7. Save your changes, and you’re done! Your product will now be included in the Wardrobe selection.

Which Sellers are Eligible to Participate?

To be eligible to participate in Amazon Wardrobe, you must:

  • Be based in the US
  • Have an active Professional Selling Plan
  • Have a good performance history as a seller.
  • Sell apparel, shoes, and accessories for men, women, or children

If you’re not already selling on Amazon but are interested, you can sign up at Seller Central.

Where to Find Product Ideas

Finding new product ideas not currently sold on Amazon can be challenging. You can research new items using two ways.

Manual Research

Take a look at the items currently included in the program. You can find these by going to Amazon.com and clicking on the Prime Wardrobe link in the navigation bar. On the page, scroll down to the “Shop by Category” section. Click on the type of product you want to sell. This will take you to a page with all the Wardrobe-eligible products in that category.

As you browse through these products, take note of any that stand out to you as being particularly well-suited for the program. These are the products you should consider adding to your Prime Wardrobe selection.

Use a Tool

Manual research is tedious and time-consuming. Even after hours of effort, you may still miss out on low-competition, high-demand products because you just don't have access to the relevant data. A research tool like Semrush’s Product Research for Amazon is much more efficient. With this tool, you get:

  • Instant ideas for your product with smart filters
  • An inbuilt calculator to predict cost amounts and profits
  • Recent information about demand.

How Much Does Prime Wardrobe Cost?

The good news is that there are no additional costs for sellers. You usually pay the same referral fee and shipping charges on a selling plan, whether on an Individual ($0.99 per unit sold) or Professional ($39.99 per month) plan.

Do Sellers Pay for Returned Clothing?

Another fantastic advantage is that you won’t have to pay for returned items, as Amazon recovers the cost of return shipping from the buyer.

Does Amazon Charge Additional Seller Fees?

No, there are no extra fees for selling on Amazon Prime Wardrobe. The customer pays the additional fee that covers all costs in their monthly membership amount. Buyers bear the expenditure, so you don't have to!

Prime Wardrobe vs. Clothing Subscription Services vs. Amazon Prime

Now that you know more about Amazon Prime Wardrobe let’s compare it to similar services.

Prime Wardrobe vs. Stitch Fix

There are other clothing subscription services like Stitch Fix. These work similarly to Prime Wardrobe because they allow customers to try on items at home before buying them. The main difference is that with Stitch Fix, the stylist picks out the items for you (with input from you, of course), but you won’t get to see them until they arrive. On Wardrobe, the customer picks out the items from the stylist’s selection before they get delivered. The stylist fee is also much higher, at $20 on Stitch Fix.

Prime Wardrobe vs. Prime

Prime is Amazon’s flagship subscription service. For $119 per year (or $12.99 per month), customers get free two-day shipping on eligible items, access to premium video and music, unlimited photo storage, and more.

Amazon Prime Wardrobe is a subset of Amazon Prime. In other words, you need to be a Prime member to sign up for Wardrobe. In addition, you get to reap the benefits of low pricing and self-selection.

Is Amazon Prime Wardrobe Worth the Hassle for Sellers?

You might wonder if all this is worth your time and effort as a seller. After all, you’re already selling on Amazon and fulfilling orders. Now you have to worry about returns as well. The answer is yes! Signing up for Prime Wardrobe brings the following benefits if you’re a seller whose inventory is made up of clothes, shoes, or accessories.

More Sales

Your products get more exposure as they are placed before 200 million new buyers While some will return items, the fact that they’re able to try them on at home means they’re more likely to find something they love and want to keep. And with the Personal Shopper feature, your products have an even better chance of being seen by potential customers.

Customer Loyalty

Wardrobe is also a great way to build trust with your customers. By allowing them to try before they buy, you’re showing that you’re confident in your products and that you stand behind them. This is the kind of trust that leads to repeat customers and brand loyalty.

Inventory Management

If you have inventory that isn’t selling well, you can use Prime Wardrobe to offload that inventory. If you have popular products that go out of stock often, Prime Wardrobe could also help with that.

Conclusion

Prime Wardrobe or Prime Try Before You Buy is a new opportunity for sellers to reach a wider audience. It is a hassle-free way to get more sales while Amazon handles all the shipping, returns, and customer relationships. Buyers bear the cost of the service, so sellers don't have to. So if you haven’t already, sign up for Prime Wardrobe today!

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