Myntra relaunches its desktop website

The Flipkart-owned fashion and casual lifestyle portal had upset many users when it went app-only last year.

The Flipkart-owned fashion and casual lifestyle portal had upset many users when it went app-only last year.

New Delhi The future of e-commerce may be mobile and apps, but the desktop platform is here to stay for now. Myntra, after going app-only last year, has relaunched its desktop website.

The fashion and casual lifestyle e-commerce portal flipped the switch over the weekend — a little earlier than it was expected to. The Flipkart-owned company had announced earlier this month that it will be re-launching its desktop website on June 1.

Myntra went the app-only route in May 2015, preventing users from placing an order by using a web browser. At the time, the company had noted that mobile apps are the best platform for Myntra. And while that could well be the case, plenty of users weren't pleased with it. Amid the backlash, Flipkart relaunched Myntra's mobile website late last year.

Flipkart and Myntra aren't the only services that have played with the idea of getting their users to switch to apps. Over the years, we've seen MakeMyTrip, Ola, Uber, BookMyShow also aggressively suggest its users to try their respective mobile apps. And there's an explanation for that. Compared to a website, an app offers them better control over users. This is possible because an app gets far more attention from a user — think of receiving notifications about interesting deals. The interoperability between different apps arguably makes the process of purchasing a product and keeping track of its imminent status (shipment tracking, for instance) more frictionless. However, we haven't reached the point yet where most people are ready to move to apps.

Myntra's desktop website returns as the company undergoes a top-level management shakeup. Mukesh Bansal, Myntra founder, and Punit Soni, Chief Product Officer of Flipkart, who are thought to have played an instrumental role in Myntra's app-only strategy left the company this year.

The return of the website could help the company boost its revenue. Ananth Narayana, Chief Executive of Myntra said that the volume of users on the desktop hasn't decreased. He adds, "We've launched a number of new categories such as home furnishing and (fine) jewellery where customers want to see products on a larger screen." Myntra expects to see its sales grow by up to 20 percent with the relaunch of the desktop.