ASOS steps up delivery speed in the race for online fashion spend

Online retail giant ASOS has launched a new unlimited express delivery service and simpler returns policy, as it increases its stronghold on the Australian market.

The service, ASOS Premier, offers customers an unlimited number of deliveries for 12 months for a cost of $49, with the promise of delivery within two days from the time of transaction in metro areas.

Regional customers using the ASOS Premier service are promised delivery within three days.

ASOS standard delivery in Australian is within eight business days of order, and express within three business days after order.

The UK-based powerhouse has also launched a simplified returns facility, called the Returns Portal, in which it is offering set prices for same-day courier collection, and returns via Australia Post.

The same-day courier collection costs customers $8.95 in metro areas, or Australian Post returns cost $7.85.

The ASOS country manager for Australia, Sally-Anne Newson, said in a statement that this was to facilitate an “easy, seamless shopping experience for our customers, giving them the opportunity to buy the fashion they want, when and how they want it”.

In a bid to compete with Australian retailers, now facing a potential hike in junior wages, superannuation rises and the recent imposition of weekend penalty rates, ASOS is also offering its ASOS Premier customers incentives. These include special discounts, early alerts to sales, and for a limited time, the chance to obtain a one year subscription to the ASOS magazine.

The fast-fashion retailer announced that the returns service will be extended to offer a “Store Drop Off” service in the coming months, with locations to be announced shortly. However, further details on how this would operate were unavailable at the time of publication.

The news comes just after local online retail competitor The Iconic received a $28 million cash injection to develop its behind-the-scenes operations such as stock management and delivery.

ASOS ships to 241 countries and has around 60,000 apparel and accessory items on offer at a time. A company statement said it attracts 23.2 million unique visitors a month, has 12.1 million registered users and 6.5 million active customers.