AJIO, headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka, is an Indian fashion e-commerce retailer. Launched by Reliance Retail in 2016, it was part of the company's foray into the fashion and lifestyle e-commerce space.[1]
History
Conceived under the leadership of Isha Ambani, AJIO was launched during the Lakme Fashion Week in 2016 as part of Reliance Retail's expansion into the e-commerce sector.[1]
Leveraging Reliance's extensive retail network and resources, the platform quickly established itself as a key player in the online fashion industry.[2] AJIO started as a women centric brand offering the largest collection of private labels for women online[1] further expanding its categories to menswear in October 2016 and to kids wear in March 2017.
During the Lakme Fashion Week in 2016, the fashion e-tailer was unveiled through a spectacular campaign #DoubtisOut featuring Actor Sunny Leone, transgender activist, Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, comedian, Bharti Singh, yesteryear actor, Helen and Suman Sharma, the first woman to fly a MiG-35 fighter plane as the showstoppers,[1] emphasizing self - expression and individuality through fashion.
Although AJIO started off with just women-centric fashion, the platform quickly went on to expand to menswear in the same year and kids wear in the next year.
In FY2018, AJIO initiated its omni-channel strategy to advance growth and significantly enhanced its customer experience by introducing doorstep refunds and exchanges to ease the after-sales customer journey.
To enhance the customer shopping experience, AJlO 2.0 - an upgraded version of the platform with improved user interface features and personalized recommendations, was introduced in FY2019. The year also saw the brand scale its catalog to over 1.5 lakh product offerings.
In FY2020, AJIO strengthened its marketing strategy by initiating celebrity-based marketing endorsements. Bollywood stars like Shraddha Kapoor (who is also the brand ambassador of AJIO), Badshah, Guru Randhawa, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Aditi Rao Hydari and Rana Dagsubati have all featured in various campaigns of the brand ever since.
Tapping into the changing behavior of luxury consumers in India (and taking advantage of the lack of access to physical stores), AJIO made a strategic entry into the luxury segment in 2020 with the launch of AJIO Luxe.[3]
In 2021, within a span of 2 years, AJIO witnessed a drastic expansion of the brand's product catalog to over six lakh offerings. This came in with the brand further expanding its categories to jewelry, watches, and home & decor.
AJIO launched its first ever regional campaign for Onam 2022. A promotional song, 'Keralam Maariyo' co-produced by the brand and the rock band Thaikudam Bridge and starring actor Kalyani Priyadarshan, was released to underline AJIO's belief in challenging the status quo.[4]
In November 2023, AJIOGRAM - a D2C-focused content driven e-commerce platform catering to the next generation of shoppers, was launched. This storefront offers the latest fashion trends through a curated style feed. The move aligns with the company's plan to tap into the growing ecosystem of D2C brands in India and with its broader digital engagement strategy. AJIOGRAM aims at empowering fashion startups that are pushing the boundaries of innovative and mindful fashion by offering them a platform to reach a larger audience and long-term brand building support through marketing initiatives and integration with AJIO's influencer ecosystem.[5][6]
The editorial feature on the app, providing customers with information on the latest fashion trends from across the globe, styling tips and product recommendations was also rebranded and launched as TRNDin during 2023.
In 2024, AJIO partnered with Netflix to launch the "Heeramandi" collection, a capsule collection that was exclusively available on AJIO platforms, inspired by Sanjay Leela Bhansali's period drama.[7][8]
House of Brands
Since its launch, AJIO has focused on offering its customer the best of global fashion at the most competitive prices on its range of exclusive, premium, and owned labels.
AJIO exclusively offers a range of global brands such as Superdry, Diesel, Armani Exchange, GAP, etc., to the fashion forward Indian consumers.
The brand also caters to its ethnic loving fashion forward consumers and promotes artisanal craftsmanship through its plethora of brands such as House of Ethnics, I.N.D.I.E. Picks, Ri-Wah, Kalanikethan, etc.
Tentpole Events
AJIO's "Big Bold Sale," a bi-annual flagship event, offers substantial discounts and exclusive deals across its selection of premium, international and homegrown brands, attracting a large number of online shoppers. The sale is a significant part of AJIO's marketing strategy, helping to boost sales and engage customers with attractive offers on a variety of fashion and lifestyle products.[9][10]
AJIO's "All Stars Sale" is a prominent promotional event that features significant discounts on a wide range of fashion and lifestyle products. The sale is strategically timed to coincide with festive seasons, drawing in a large number of shoppers and boosting the platform's sales figures.[11][12]
Apart from these two major campaigns, AJIO launches the Fashionation, Red Hot, and AJIOMANIA sale events throughout the year.
