6 Innovative Try Before You Buy Examples & What Marketers Can Learn From Them

Online shopping has exploded in popularity, with ecommerce sales projected to surpass $6 trillion globally in 2023. However, many consumers still feel hesitation when it comes to buying products sight unseen through a screen.

A 2021 survey by Petfitly found that the inability to physically try on or test out items before purchasing was shoppers‘ biggest concern with online shopping. It was also the number one reason for returns.

To combat this issue and boost consumer confidence, a growing number of online retailers are turning to "try before you buy" programs. These allow customers to receive products and test them out at home for a period of time before committing to the purchase.

While the specifics vary, the general process of try before you buy looks like this:

1. The shopper selects one or more products to try out and places an order
2. The retailer ships the item(s) to the shopper
3. The shopper has a set trial period to use the product(s), as determined by the retailer
4. Before the end of the trial, the shopper decides what to keep or return
5. The shopper is only charged for what they keep; the rest is returned at no cost

Offering a try before you buy option removes much of the risk and uncertainty that prevents many people from shopping online. It bridges the gap between the in-store and online shopping experiences.

For retailers, a successful try before you buy program can lead to:

• Increased consumer trust and confidence in the brand
• Higher online conversion rates
• Fewer returns and exchanges
• More customer data to inform decisions
• A competitive edge in crowded ecommerce spaces

Of course, it also comes with potential downsides like increased shipping and fulfillment costs, more complex logistics and inventory management, and the risk of product damage or loss. Brands must weigh these factors when considering a try before you buy model.

To show the diversity of approaches, let‘s examine 6 real-world examples of brands putting try before you buy into action in unique ways:

1. Warby Parker – Home Try-On Program

Warby Parker, an eyeglasses retailer, is often credited with popularizing try before you buy in ecommerce. Their "Home Try-On" program allows shoppers to select 5 frames to test out at home for 5 days – at no cost and with free shipping both ways.

Customers simply select their favorites online or use Warby Parker‘s virtual try-on tool to preview the frames. The box of 5 frames arrives with free return packaging to easily send back what you don‘t want to keep.

What makes it unique:

• One of the first to offer try before you buy for an item that really needs to be tried on
• Recognized the issues with buying glasses online and found an innovative solution
• No upfront cost to the consumer and risk-free
• Generous 5 day trial period and 5 frames to try
• Easy, prepaid return process

Takeaways for marketers:

• Look for pain points or hesitations your target customers face with buying your products online
• Find ways to replicate parts of the in-store experience virtually
• Make the program easy and risk-free for customers to boost participation
• Use try before you buy to stand out from competitors in your space

2. Amazon Prime Wardrobe

Ecommerce giant Amazon offers try before you buy for eligible clothing, shoes, and accessories to its Prime members through Prime Wardrobe. Members can choose up to 8 items to try for 7 days before buying.

The program includes many items specifically marked as "Prime Wardrobe" across Amazon Fashion from a variety of established and emerging brands. Users can also get personalized recommendations from stylists for a small fee.

What makes it unique:

• Leverages Amazon‘s vast selection, shipping network, and Prime membership perks
• Exclusive benefit for Prime members as added incentive
• Integrated with Amazon‘s familiar shopping experience and user accounts
• Option for personalized styling help as an add-on service

Takeaways for marketers:

• Use try before you buy to add unique value for loyal customers/members
• Make it an integrated, seamless part of your existing shopping experience
• Consider relevant add-on services that complement the core offering
• Leverage your brand‘s existing strengths and assets in the program

3. Stitch Fix – Personal Styling Service

Stitch Fix offers an online personal styling service and clothing subscription box. Customers fill out a detailed style profile and pay a $20 "styling fee". Then a stylist selects 5 clothing and accessory items to send for a 3-day try-on period at home.

The $20 upfront fee gets credited towards anything the customer decides to keep. There‘s a 25% off discount for buying all 5 items. Returns are free and the shipments can be scheduled at a frequency the customer chooses.

What makes it unique:

• Highly personalized styling and curated clothing/accessory items
• Surprise element of the stylist picks (don‘t see items until box arrives)
• Flexible delivery frequency options
• Tiered discounts for keeping more items to encourage higher spend

Takeaways for marketers:

• Use a "style quiz" approach to gather rich customer data for personalization
• Include elements of surprise and delight with curated or unexpected items
• Allow flexibility and customization of the program to fit individual needs
• Incentivize keeping items with tiered discounts or rewards

4. Italic – Luxury Without Labels

Italic is a membership-based marketplace ($120/year) that offers luxury-quality goods from the same manufacturers as top brands – without the label markups. Members can shop across categories like bags, clothing, home, and beauty.

Italic offers free 30-day returns and a generous try before you buy option – order up to 10 items at a time, keep them for a week, and only pay for what you love. Shipping and returns are always free.

What makes it unique:

• Access to luxury goods/manufacturers at lower prices
• Membership model builds in exclusivity and loyalty
• Broad range of categories to shop
• Ability to order many items to try at once with a full week trial period

Takeaways for marketers:

• Consider a paid membership model for added perks and loyalty
• Offer items across diverse categories if possible for a one-stop shop
• Allow ordering multiple items while keeping fulfillment costs manageable
• Make shipping and returns free to remove barriers to ordering

5. Trynow – Ecommerce Plugin

Trynow is an ecommerce checkout plugin that retailers can integrate into their existing online stores. It allows them to offer try before you buy on their sites in a customizable way.

Retailers can choose settings like which products are eligible, try-on periods, fees, and more. Shoppers go through the normal checkout process but aren‘t charged until after the trial period ends. Trynow manages the payment, fraud protection, and returns.

What makes it unique:

• Enables any merchant to implement try before you buy on their own site
• Integrates into the store‘s existing checkout flow
• Customizable options to fit the retailer‘s specific needs/products
• Handles payment and fraud risk for the merchant

Takeaways for marketers:

• You don‘t need to build a try before you buy program entirely in-house
• Look for third-party solutions to enable new offerings in a turnkey way
• Customize a try before you buy program to fit your specific products and goals
• Make it an integrated part of your site experience, not a separate destination

6. Thirdlove – Bra Fitting App & Try Before You Buy

ThirdLove is a women‘s underwear brand known for their Fit Finder quiz that matches shoppers to their ideal bra size and style. Customers can try up to 3 bras at home for 30 days – just pay $5.99 shipping and you‘re only charged for what you keep.

The brand also offers a mobile app with a virtual bra fitting experience. It uses computer vision technology to analyze body size and shape to recommend bras from a few selfies. The app enables a try before you buy experience.

What makes it unique:

• Fit-focused technology and extensive quiz to match customers to products
• Mobile app enables virtual fittings and try before you buy
• Specialty products that benefit from an at-home trial
• $5.99 upfront shipping cost can deter frivolous orders

Takeaways for marketers:

• Incorporate technology to help customers find the right fit remotely
• Use quizzes and apps to recommend products and enable sampling
• Focus on products that especially benefit from in-person try-on
• Consider a small upfront fee to offset costs and weed out casual browsers

The Future of Try Before You Buy

As online shopping continues to dominate, try before you buy is likely to become an increasingly common offering. Consumers now expect the convenience of ecommerce coupled with the confidence of an in-store experience.

Technologies like virtual try-on, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence will evolve to further bridge the physical-digital divide. This will make try before you buy more seamless and accessible across categories.

At the same time, newer retail models like recommerce will emerge. Brands may offer try before you buy for secondhand goods or rental items to give shoppers flexibility and align with the growing circular economy.

For retailers considering a try before you buy program, it‘s important to:

• Carefully weigh the financial costs and potential risks
• Start small and define a clear goal for the program
• Give customers a generous trial period and easy returns
• Gather feedback and data to optimize the offering over time
• Promote it widely and communicate the process clearly
• Ensure you can deliver a good customer experience at scale

When done right, try before you buy can be a powerful way to attract customers, increase conversions, reduce return rates, and build long-term brand loyalty. As consumer demands continue to rise, it may soon become table stakes for many online retailers.