NEW YORK — Amazon has announced that it will be discontinuing its “Try Before You Buy” service, which allowed Prime members the opportunity to try on various clothing items, shoes, and accessories at home prior to making a purchase completion. The service will gradually come to an end, with the final date for eligible members to place orders being January 31.

The “Try Before You Buy” feature allowed Prime members to order as many as six selected pieces of clothing on a trial basis. Once the items arrived, customers had a period of seven days to return any goods they did not wish to keep, and they would not incur any charges for the returns.

An Amazon spokesperson gave insight into the decision by highlighting that the service had limited availability and that customers were increasingly using AI-enhanced sizing recommendations available on the platform. The spokesperson mentioned, “With the limited scaling of Try Before You Buy and the growing reliance on our AI-driven tools like virtual fitting, personalized size suggestions, and enhanced size charts for optimal fitting, we made the decision to eliminate the Try Before You Buy option.”

The initiative, known originally as Prime Wardrobe, began testing in 2017 and officially launched a year later in 2018. As online shopping becomes more prevalent and generous return policies become commonplace, Amazon and various retail companies have aimed to mitigate costs associated with returns, such as shipping fees and processing delays.

Despite the phasing out of “Try Before You Buy,” Amazon reassured customers that they will still enjoy the benefit of free returns throughout their apparel categories. The company believes that this change will streamline the shopping process, offering customers a wider selection and quicker delivery options.