Wardrobe Crisis Averted: Rent the Runway Launches Same-Day Delivery
Imagine being able to order a new-to-you outfit to wear to that thing tonight — in your size, plus a backup size — the same way you’d order groceries for tonight’s dinner from Instacart. And from just $30. That’s the genius idea behind Rent the Runway’s new Same-Day Delivery Service, launching today in NYC.
The uber-popular “sharing economy” fashion service — which recently hit 6 million customers and over $100 million in revenue, according to Inc — wants to ensure that we never have a reason to bail again just because “we’ve got nothing to wear,” by making renting clothes and accessories as seamless as… ordering from Seamless.
Now available in New York City, with plans to expand to other markets soon, Rent the Runway’s Same-Day Delivery service is a deliberate move to “cater to a generation that values access over ownership [and] take on Amazon…and fast fashion,” according to today’s press release.
Through the new same-day option, Rent the Runway orders for tops, bottoms, dresses and accessories placed before lunch (12 p.m.) will be delivered before Happy Hour (5 p.m.) — just like Amazon Prime Now, Instacart, and other services that have become standard habit for tech-savvy consumers.
And just like those delivery services, customers will also receive live mobile updates and have full control to adjust their rental delivery window accordingly. Rental styles start at $30, and include a free back-up size, plus delivery is free for Rent the Runway PRO members ($9.95 for everyone else) — “providing a high-quality alternative to fast fashion knockoffs…democratizing luxury fashion by offering instant access and delivery.”
The service is a direct strategic move to leverage Rent the Runway’s massive success — particularly with millennials, brides and wedding guests — and compete with the recently announced Amazon Prime Wardrobe, but in a “closet-less [way] that is more valued and sustainable…redefining the meaning of fashion fashion by providing the smarter solution to last-minute looks.”
At the company’s five brick-and-mortar retail locations in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., same-day rentals already account for 30% of the stores’ revenue. Rent the Runway say that expanding Same-Day Delivery outside of NYC will be based on demand, but we expect that rollout to be fairly rapid — particularly given the company’s recent partnership with luxury retailer Neiman Marcus and other brick-and-mortar boutiques looking for innovative ways to scale their traditional businesses and be more inclusive to the harder-to-reach millennial demographic. (The average age of the Neiman Marcus customer is 51, while Rent the Runway’s average shopper is 29, according to Bloomberg.)
To learn more about Rent the Runway, or to see what’s currently in-store in NYC, visit RentTheRunway.com.