Amazon axes 200 jobs in Fashion and Fitness group in US: Report

Amazon is laying off around 200 employees in its Fashion and Fitness group in the US, Business Insider reported. The company confirmed the layoffs, which primarily impacted employees based in San Diego, a group known internally as F2. The decision follows a restructuring effort to optimize team structures for better innovation and customer focus.

“We've adjusted parts of our North America Stores team because we believe this structure will better enable us to deliver on our priorities. As part of these changes, we've made the difficult decision to eliminate a small number of roles, and we're committed to supporting affected employees through their transition.”

The layoff decision is not connected to the discontinuation of its “Try Before You Buy” program, which allowed customers to try on clothing and footwear before making a purchase.

The Try Before You Buy service, launched in 2018, was shuttered earlier this month. However, Amazon clarified that the program’s closure and the job cuts are separate.

Amazon’s Fashion and Fitness group is responsible for curating and marketing apparel, footwear, accessories, and fitness equipment. The company continues to explore ways to expand its apparel and fashion categories, despite the challenges of customers often preferring to try items before purchasing. The layoffs signal ongoing internal adjustments in Amazon in a competitive market.

Amazon to end “Try Before You Buy” service

Amazon is discontinuing its “Try Before You Buy” service, a program that allowed Prime members to try on select apparel, shoes, and accessories at home before completing their purchase. The company confirmed that the last day customers can place orders using the service will be January 31.

The service, launched in 2018 after initial testing under the name Prime Wardrobe in 2017, enabled customers to order up to six clothing items for a trial period. After receiving the merchandise, shoppers had seven days to return any unwanted items without incurring charges.

In a statement, Amazon explained that the decision was made due to the program’s limited reach and the increasing use of AI-powered tools to help customers select the right items. “Given the combination of Try Before You Buy only scaling to a limited number of items and customers increasingly using our new AI-powered features like virtual try-on, personalized size recommendations, review highlights, and improved size charts to make sure they find the right fit, we’re phasing out the Try Before You Buy option,” an Amazon spokesperson said.