A relatively new entrant in the online fashion & lifestyle space, Ajio has been growing at a phenomenal rate, adding 1.6 million customers just in the last quarter of FY2024
Launched in 2016, Ajio, the e-commerce platform by Reliance Retail challenges established players in the segment by positioning itself as a comprehensive fashion destination offering a wide range of clothing, footwear, accessories, and lifestyle products for men, women, and kids. Catering to diverse fashion preferences and price points, featuring both international and domestic brands as well as its private labels, Ajio has fast emerged as a leading player in the category with a growing customer base. In the first quarter of the financial year (FY) 2024, Ajio added 2 million new customers. In the fourth quarter of the FY, it added 1.6 million customers as per results announced by the company.
The Ajio Advantage
Over the years, Ajio’s strategy of linking multiple retail points has enabled customers to access the latest in fashion across a wide variety of brands. With over 5000 delivery nodes across the country, the platform has crafted a seamless shopping experience using multiple customer journeys with curated stores, like Ajio Luxe and Exclusive D2C Brand store Ajiogram, based on buying and browsing behaviour. Ajio recently unveiled plans to invest in and boost the growth of 100 direct-to-customer fashion startups, aiming to showcase their products. The company intends to onboard 200 exclusive Indian fashion and lifestyle D2C brands onto Ajiogram in the coming year.
Marketing strategies
With flagship events such as Big Bold Sale (BBS), in December Ajio launched several exclusive collections including SAM, Dhruv Kapoor collection, Svaraa and Nyrika. BBS saw customers from over 19,000 PIN codes across the country shop from a selection of international brands, owned labels and homegrown brands with deals and offers across categories like fashion, lifestyle, home and decor, jewellery, beauty and personal care. Exciting deals were offered on brands like Adidas, Superdry, Nike, Puma, GAP, Asics, USPA, New Balance, Under Armour, Steve Madden, Tommy Hilfiger, Diesel, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, BOSS, Levi’s, Marks and Spencer, Armani Exchange, Ritu Kumar, MUJI, SAM, Buda Jeans Co., Fyre Rose, Portico, Casio, Lakme, Maybelline and many more.
“We have a 360-degree holistic marketing approach across channels that aids in building a strong brand, with an almost equal split of focus among traditional and new-age mediums,” an Ajio spokesperson told IndiaRetailing.
For Ajio, over 51% of total orders during the year came from non-metros including Mysore, Ghaziabad, Karnal, Surat, and Bhubaneswar among others. The data reveals Ajio’s strong penetration in the smaller cities and towns of India where people are increasingly looking to shop online for top brands from across the world. “Shopping sentiment is at an all-time high with customers looking to upgrade their fashion choices. There has been an emerging trend of premiumisation and increasing Average Basket Value (ABV) in the last couple of years reflecting a significant increase in branded merchandise sales on Ajio,” the spokesperson explained.
“Another interesting trend is the increasing purchasing power among the non-metros. The burgeoning shopping sentiment from non-metros has been significantly strong in the past year,” the person added. In flagship sale events of the year like All Stars Sale and the Big Bold Sale, the platform witnesses close to half the overall order volume coming from non-metros, showing strong growth in these markets.
Ajio Bestsellers
The Western wear category for both men and women saw a significant surge in demand over the past year. Along with this, footwear, especially sneakers, saw massive growth in demand and order volume. Keeping in line with the burgeoning demand for the category, Sneakerhood, the curated sneaker store on Ajio expanded its selection by 200% YoY with new launches like Champion, Toms etc. The wedding season along with the festivities across the year fuelled growth in the ethnic category. New ethnic launches included Indie Picks, Ri-wah, Svaraa, Nyrika etc. The top-selling brands across categories include Nike, Adidas, Puma, Asics, GAP, MUJI, Levi’s, Superdry, Diesel, GAS, Armani Exchange etc.
Ajio App
The Ajio app provides users with a convenient and user-friendly platform to browse and shop for a wide range of fashion products, including clothing, footwear, accessories, and lifestyle items, from both international and domestic brands, as well as Ajio’s private labels. With a rating of 4.3 on Google Play, the app explores the latest trends, seasonal styles, and exclusive collections curated by in-house stylists and fashion experts. The app has been growing significantly and has been adding more brands consistently. As per Reliance Retail’s results for the second quarter of the financial year (FY) 2024, Ajio increased its product catalogue by 50% YoY. With a strong portfolio of 5500 top brands from around the globe, Ajio has been attracting a slew of new customers from across regions.
Ajio Experience
In the third quarter of FY2024, Ajio launched a content-driven interactive platform for D2C brands. This differentiated platform enabled and empowered homegrown fashion brands that are challenging the norms with their vision and innovative products. Disrupting the status quo, the platform offers a unique solution that focuses on brand building and visibility for D2C brands.
