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Luxury e-commerce retailer Farfetch has taken another step towards merging the online and offline shopping experience. The New York Times's Vanessa Friedman reports that Farfetch, which operates as a community for over 300 independent boutiques across the globe to sell their merchandise all in one place, has added a new initiative called Click & Collect. The program gives customers the option to get alterations, fittings, and returns on their Farfetch purchases from the nearest participating boutique selling on the site, regardless of whether the items purchased are from that boutique or not.
Friedman points out that, on the surface, it doesn't seem like there's much in it for boutiques who agree to take care of Farfetch purchases and cover shipping costs even if the merchandise has nothing to do with their own inventory—but they are attracting potential customers who otherwise might not visit the boutique. According to the report, more than half of Farfetch's boutiques have signed on to participate in Click & Collect.
Update: Not all boutiques will offer alterations for Farfetch's Click & Collect customers as the service is not available at every boutique participating in the program.
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