Published Paper Details:

This paper evaluates the feasibility of a curated, try-at-home fashion service within the Indian e-commerce market, analyzed through the lenses of entrepreneurship and innovation theory. The business model addresses a pervasive industry pain point (25% to 40% of online apparel purchases are returned due to fit and tactile uncertainty) by delivering five stylist-selected outfits to consumers, who pay only for what they keep. Utilizing a qualitative research design built on secondary data (including peer-reviewed literature, corporate filings, industry reports, and market press), the study evaluates the venture against frameworks of opportunity recognition, business model innovation, and lean experimentation. The analysis yields three primary insights: the Indian fashion market is large and expanding rapidly; the core consumer problem remains acutely underserved; and the global competitive landscape is shifting following the retrenchment of major players, highlighted by the closure of Amazon's "Try Before You Buy" service in January 2025 and the contraction of Stitch Fix. Furthermore, an indicative unit-economic model demonstrates that positive order-level contribution margins are achievable, provided that keep-rates and reverse-logistics costs are tightly controlled. The paper concludes that while the venture is strategically viable, its operational feasibility is strictly conditional upon mitigating keep-rate volatility, reverse-logistics expenses, and cash-on-delivery (COD) risks. Finally, a primary research framework is proposed to empirically validate consumer willingness-to-try and keep-rate assumptions prior to market entry.