Japanese e-commerce service Locondo partners with Spanish brand to strengthen its lineup

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Locondo is a shoes and fashion e-commerce service that allows consumers to ‘buy first and than choose.’ What that means is that consumers can try on items that they have bought and return things that don’t fit within 30 days, with a full money-back guarantee. The site opened back in Feburary of 2011 and has over 300,000 registered members. Locondo is backed by Rocket Internet, as well as Lead Capital Management and Itochu Technology Ventures.

Locondo can be described as a sort of ultimate e-commerce, providing its customers with free shipping, 30-day returns, next-day delivery, and even concierge service. The latter is available by both email and telephone, answering questions not only about how the site functions but also questions like what kind of shoes would be recommended to wear for a wedding. According to online fashion portal Fashionsnap, the return rate for orders is not as high as expected at 25%. Of those who buy, 30% of userscomes back to the site to buy more.

Five months after launch, Locondo added bags to its line up, and they currently account for roughly 15% to 20% of total sales. And now, the company has announced a partnership with Spanish brand Desigual, as well as its expansion into a wider range of fashion items. Desigual is a popular fashion brand in trendy locations like Harajuku in Tokyo or Shinsaibashi in Osaka.

Locondo will also be working with Cross Company, which runs well-known brands such as earth music & ecology. The company plans to acquire over 100 brands by this summer, and 1,000 by the year 2016.

All these moves by Locondo are not only attemps to enhance the user experience, but also to compete against its biggest competitor Javari, which is operated by internet giant Amazon. On the comparison site called EC Navi, Locondo has a rating of 89 points out of 100, where Javari has a rating of only 66 points. Locondo has reflected on its user feedback, including feedback on its ‘Easy Search’ which allows users to easily find what they are looking for through images.

In general, women in Japan seem to be more open to online shopping. At least that’s probably the case for women who use feature phones, shopping on popular and cheap fashion sites such as Yumetenbo. But on sites like this, girls buy only because items are unbelievably cheap. Locondo is taking another approach to making online shopping more accessible and affordable for many users, and giving them a way out in case they are disappointed.