The fashion industry is not what it used to be. If we could rewind our memories to a few decades back when we the fast-fashion coming to its fullest. However, the rise in the mass-production was quickly countered by the increasing concern over sustainability, and fashion brands had to adopt more technological solutions that could balance nature and profits. Thus, came customization, which helped fashion brands to attain all their goals and also safeguards nature. Likewise, the clothes designing software helps brands grapple with all the demands and trends emerging in the online marketplace. The custom-made solution helps brands seamlessly implement digital technology into their business model and streamline their entire supply chain. It is the epitome of blending the best of two worlds where customers wear what they do while also helping brands keep the production in check.
Fashion Design Software Offers Solutions to Clothing Brands to Smoothly Transcend into Ecommerce
It is undeniable that the fashion industry has been hit hard by the effects of the COVID-19. The disruption led to the shift in consumer preferences and consumer sentiment. According to Boston Consulting Group, revenue generated by the fashion industry dropped by more than one-third in 2020, which is equivalent to around $640 billion in lost sales. This is huge for an industry that thrives on a fast-live lifestyle and believes in changing with time. But it was also a wake call for many brands that were reluctant to bring any change in their business model. The facts suggest that several leading brands had to face the consequence of not being digitally native, including H&M and Zara. It was reported that H&M had planned to close 250 of its 5,000 stores globally, and the Zara owner Inditex SA already closed over 1,000 retail shops earlier last year. The fashion giants were under the impression that the world would remain a happy place and flourish in the market with their age-old strategies. Undoubtedly certain brands did benefit from the strategy, and its living example is Boohoo, who had gone public, snapping up ecommerce upstarts Pretty Little Thing and Nasty Gal, adding gasoline to their online growth. In fact, some established fashion giants were turning their Fashion Week venues into stage shows, withChanel displaying its latest collection in a giant airline terminal and Tommy Hilfiger building an entire indoor mini-beach, complete with a boardwalk.
As they say, things seem calmer when you are in the eye of the storm. And when the situation took a nasty turn, and the losses started unfolding, several brands were caught off-guard. However, many retailers and manufacturing brands were quick to realize the potential the pandemic offered and saw the silver lining of moving to the ecommerce platform to do business. Therefore, the fashion industry had to revamp its operational mode and rewrite its strategies and approaches to help brands practice digitization. The declaration of switching to the online marketplace did come late, but it has successfully resolved its operational mode. Besides, a switch to working remotely and buying things that were needed more regularly, such as athleisure and streetwear, swiftly became the centre of attention among many other apparels. When people had no physical connection with the outside world, they could wear funky hoodies and sweatpants. So, buying a fashionable outfit was out of the question. However, as brands started to experiment with their bottom line and business model and implemented the digital features to make shopping a lifetime and fun experience, the story began to change.
What does the future hold for the fashion industry?
It is evident that the pandemic has highlighted many loopholes in the fashion industry and taught the lesson of being prepared for any situation at any time. Digital technology provided similar choices to fashion brands and enabled them to spread their wings to mark their presence. Despite the apparel industry having downtime during the pandemic, it was still in a better condition than the other sectors, and besides, it had the power of modern technology that further provided strong support. The situation may have demanded an interesting challenge; it can still rise above it using modern-day solutions. It is apparent that clothing utilization is decreasing globally, and a report by the Ellen McArthur foundation suggests that the average number of times a garment is worn has decreased by 36 per cent compared to 15 years ago and even more so in high-income countries.
With the world changing its norms and letting people see each other more online than face-to-face, the trend to buy-less –and wear—more bolstered the rise of style-conscious social media users. Pre-pandemic stories were rife of Instagram influencers buying items once for an outfit photo before returning them. Consequently, brands have started to use AI in their websites and communicate directly with their buyers. According toGartner Senior Director and Analyst Brian Manusama, about 25 per cent of companies are planning to deploy AI technology like chatbots in the coming months. The benefits of chatbots and other digital solutions are well known to the stakeholders. They were developed to give a more personalized touch to the shopping experience that could translate into customer satisfaction and more sales.
Moreover, in dealing with customers who are always busy in their Zoom calls, brands saw an opportunity to connect with them more transparently and offer them an offline-like shopping experience. The case of Dior perfectly supports the notion where it launched a 360-degree view virtual store and enable customers to walk through the whole store and look at items, just like in a regular retail store. Other leading fashion houses, such as Dolce & Gabbana and Ralph Lauren, also repeated the virtual retail success story to entice their buyers.
The facts and figures presented above show how crucial and beneficial it is for brands to adopt novel technological solutions to ramp up their sales. Let us discuss the other factors that help brands flourish in the apparel market using digital solutions.
Here are trends that determine the use of virtual solutions to thrive in the fashion industry:
Social Media Emerging as a Powerful Tool
The power of social media is out and open, and it has played a vital role in starting various moments that shaped the world we live in. It helps people to freely speak their mind and offer the authority to reach million people at once. The platform has always been a source of bringing some social and political changes around the world. One comment, video, and image can make or break anybody. Additionally, it is a tremendous tool to market your products and thoughts to people living in different parts of the world and having different time zones. Numerous brands have already successfully made use of paid advertising for their marketing campaigns. The digitally native brands have used the platform to the fullest. Its native social media ads have served as a great way to create authentic online marketing campaigns. It is hands down the best marketing tool that guarantees sales, revenue, and large outreach, which otherwise be difficult to attain, especially when travelling and stepping out was restricted.
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