Myntra plans 50 Roadster offline stores by 2020

Flipkart-owned online fashion marketplace Myntra plans to open 50 Roadster stores across India by 2020, of which, 15 will be established within this fiscal. Also, 50 stores for its other other brands are likely to be opened over the next two years.

Accordingly, Myntra launched its second offline fashion store, ‘Roadster Go,’ at Mantri Square in Bengaluru on Thursday.

Addressing reporters, Ananth Narayanan, Chief Executive Officer of Myntra and Jabong, said, “The offline stores help us increase our online sales, making the brand feel real for the customers.”

Unlike the first Roadster store at Indiranagar, which focuses on increasing the time consumers spend familiarising with the brand, the latest store aims at making the experience seamless through technology. Narayanan said that they are expecting the store breakeven in a year.

The outlet allows self-checkout, which takes less than 30 seconds on any number of products.

The store is equipped with 100% radio-frequency identification (RFID), and it allows shoppers to choose the desired product and work out the real-time online price. Customers can receive information of the product that they see on the Myntra app, such as fabric details, available sizes, and studio images of the products, along with their current online prices, by placing them in front of a digital screen that scans the RFID tags.

The RFID tags are deactivated when the bill is paid through credit or debit card. Payment by cash is also facilitated. This solution is expected to be implemented across all upcoming stores.

Meanwhile, the next Roadster store is expected to come up in Pune, while the brand intends to increase its online penetration to 15%, from the current 3.5%.