Product details

On October 16th 2015, Aditya Birla Group (Group) had launched abof.com (all about fashion: ae-bof) or abof. It was a one-stop destination for accessories, apparel and footwear for both men and women. The target of this online fashion portal was the millennial generation aged between 18 and 30 years who might not have sufficient cash in hand but had a passion for trendy outfits. The vision of abof was to become the most preferred online fashion brand in India and to offer its customers a truly personalised shopping experience. It had a 3D trial room which would allow the customers to select the right size for their outfits and would also allow them to determine which outfit would blend perfectly with their body shape, thus helping them to make more informed purchases. In addition, as of March 2016, abof had also launched an 'Experience Zone' in Bengaluru to widen its customer outreach via the brick and mortar route. As far as product differentiation was concerned, abof would differentiate itself from its rivals in two ways. Firstly, abof would focus only on a few selected brands, unlike its rivals, which exhibited a large number of brands. Secondly, abof would also offer spot exchanges. However, the greatest challenge for abof was that it operated based on a ‘no-discount model’, unlike its close rivals, namely, Jabong and Myntra, which offered discounts on products. Given this scenario, would it be possible for abof to rule India’s online fashion industry by beating its rivals who had already established a strong foothold in this industry?