Social media has become an integral part of our lives, and many people rely on it to know what is happening around the world. These factors have accelerated the demand for social commerce in the ecommerce domain. As a result, the recent boom in social commerce also indicates that shopping is a social experience, and brands must capitalize on this trend. Of late, traction towards the online marketplace offers lucrative opportunities for brands to score sales, and with the help of advanced technology, they can quickly display their collections to customers by regularly popping up in their social feed. Likewise, the online fashion designing software enables brands to capitalize on the currents and allow customers to fashion apparel design their clothes using novel digital solutions. The customization tool helps brands bring the best out of the buyers’ creativity and aid them to feed with great collection options.
Apparel Design Software Offers Solution to Emerge Winner in Social Commerce
You must be wondering what is social commerce and how it is becoming the backbone of global ecommerce. As the name suggests, social commerce is about enabling shoppers to purchase the product from social media platforms directly. Though social commerce is an extension of social media; however, it comes with a twist. Mere displaying collections on the social media platform don’t come under social commerce; brands need to offer the option of “buy now” below the apparel post. It is one the most common trend evolving in the past couple of years, as it allows shoppers to click “buy now” and help them purchase anything almost instantly. Its biggest strength is immediacy, as it is a quick path to purchase, which means fewer opportunities for customers to abandon carts along the way.
The inclination towards ecommerce is so high thatsocial commerce sales are anticipated to rise by 35.8 per cent to reach $36.62 billion this year. It shows that sales surged by 38.9 per cent, thanks mainly to the pandemic-driven boom in ecommerce and increased social media consumption. Even so, that $36.62 billion in sales this year means that the U.S.’s social commerce market will be about one-tenth the size of China’s—$351.65 billion in 2021. Walmart conducted an experiment to test the waters and see how many people are ready to buy clothes from social media and its ways of doing business. Last year, the retailing giant sold clothes on the social media platform TikTok, and it was surprising to see that it’s only a matter of time before we’re buying products directly within our feeds, much like consumers inChina already do. Therefore, bands must understand the need to adopt a social commerce approach and use it to boost their online sales.
There are several reasons why social commerce is beginning to take off across the globe. In fact, consumers are more drawn towards spending more time on their phones, especially on social media networks. Research from Business Insider reveals that the average time spent on social networks increased from 56.23 minutes per day in 2019 to 65.44 minutes in 2020. The sudden rise in the last year could be attributed to global restrictions due to the pandemic outbreak. Social commerce gives customers a longer role in brands and helps their buyers discover new products. That’s why Business Insider forecasts social commerce sales in the U.S. will reach $36 billion in 2021. Many leading brands are seeking ways to evolve to meet consumers’ changing needs and capture a chunk of those annual sales know it makes sense to at least test out social selling.
Let us look at the various factors that help brands to identify numerous opportunities to fly higher in the online marketplace:
- Identifying the Right Platform
The biggest challenge brands face while opting to sell their products through social commerce is identifying which platform serves their purpose in the best way. However, it is interesting that there isn’t a single dominant platform that offers a shortcut to fashion houses to scale up their business in the ecommerce sector. Each platform has its specific target to address and separate customer base, allowing brands to reach out to more buyers. Platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and Pinterest are some of the examples that allow brands and designers to expand their business and direct connection with their audiences.
The platform you try depends on which networks appeal to your audience. But it also depends on the types of products you sell. Fashion brands, for example, are ideally suited for visual platforms like Instagram. Coincidentally, 84 per cent of Instagram users are open to discovering new products on the platform, so it’s an ideal channel for fashion apparel design brands to tip their toes into social commerce. TikTok, the latest to join the league of social media platforms that allow rands to hire influencers and directly fashion apparel design to young buyers. This platform is considered to be the new frontier for brands as teenagers scout the social media platform for fashion inspiration. The platform became an instant hit among buyers, because of which the well-known brands, such as Abercrombie & Fitch and Gap, are looking for ways to capitalize on viral moments when posted items skyrocket in views. Many influencers use hashtags, including #fashionhauls and #OOTD which can generate high engagement rates. It is up to retailers to ensure there is sufficient stock to maximize sales when a featured product goes viral.
The factor mentioned above indicates that social commerce and a related tactic, social selling, can potentially reshape how fashion is bought and sold altogether. That’s because it enables more dialogue between brand and customer, much like would happen in a boutique. That helps establish connections and build relationships — while also creating opportunities for cross-selling and up-selling.
- Boosting Online Spending
Since the last year, people have been spending more time on their mobile phones, and as a result, it offers a lucrative opportunity to brands to gain more traction from their buyers and reach out to them directly. Besides, it offers instant gratification and allows them to please themselves with the aesthetic apparel collection. In turn, these help brands anticipate what customers would be demanding in the future and how they can help buyers strive for something more. As a result, they can manage their inventory according to and boost their online sales. For example, recently, the sportswear giant Asos has reportedly started searching for new warehouses in Europe to ramp up its delivery speeds in key markets. The British fashion label has informed its investors about its “early planning stages” of a fifth warehouse, as reported by The Telegraph.
The reason behind the need to open a new warehouse is because the lifestyle brand experienced a surge in online sales during the pandemic. And as per its chief financial officer, Matthew Dunn, Asos could become a 6 million pounds company by the end of 2023, and therefore, it needs more warehouses to meet the demands. It is also working on balancing its sea, air, and road freight amid a hike in costs linked to disruption caused by the pandemic on global supply chains. As part of this, the company has introduced more sea routes. The retailer is also using additional ports for entry into the E.U. to reduce its lead time from the U.K. to Europe, which has increased in recent months due to Brexit.
Likewise, the 3D clothing design software allows brands to become digitally native and offers customization solutions to help buyers fashion apparel design their clothes online. After installing the tool on the website, your buyers can conveniently customize their fashion apparel design from the comfort of their couch. The software provides the best features and allows buyers to customize their apparel, ranging from dresses, skirts, shirts, t-shirts, sportswear, jerseys, pants, hoodies, jackets, suits, and many other clothes. Besides, by using various designing options, customers can add their flair to the fabric and style. This tool provides an additional feature for users to add accent to a shirt, which attracts the customized shirt. Add your body type and get a virtual view of how the apparel will best the customer. We understand that every occasion demands a specific outfit and that “one-size-fits-all” doesn’t exist anymore. Therefore, our tool allows brands to embrace all the differences around the world and celebrate each customer with their unique demand. Additionally, we offer an additional feature that empowers buyers to choose a body type as per their personality, add an image according to their choice.
This system gives a great platform for customers to customize their clothes as per their requirements. Our tool lets apparel brands immensely grow in the fashion market by providing a unique idea that offers liberty to customers to get what they want. Our customers get one more idea to gift such unique customized outfits with mentioning the name & number of their loved ones. The system fulfils the necessity for both customer and vendor and allows them to integrate this tool into their website to get more traction. Whether it’s gifting your loved ones or buying it for your own, this tool will never be a disappointment for the end-users as it gives an innovative journey to apply their thoughts for designing apparel.
- Creating Shoppable Videos
Social media is all about aesthetically pleasing your customers with beautiful pictures and videos that compel them to buy fashion apparel design from your website. Many leading brands join hands with powerful social media influencers or celebrities to create content that accelerates their demand in the ecommerce domain. For example, some years back, a leading fashion brand, Kate Spade, teamed up with actress Anna Kendrick for its first shoppable video series, #MissAdventure. The aim of the video was to introduce various collections by the brands to its customers and offer a “buy now” option with a clickable link so that they can instantly buy the product they have liked. The videos generated 7.5 million views. Then, Kate Spade tapped Kendrick again to produce a shoppable video tied to New York Fashion Week four years later. Thus, it is undeniable that videos offer great for brands to experiment with their content and entice their buyers with its powerful storyline, especially when they are relying on social commerce. Research shows 84 per cent of consumers were convinced to buy a product after watching a video. The key here is to focus more on storytelling than selling in the videos. If they can connect with your story, they will come around to buy new products and try them out.
Another example that could help brands understand how they can sell stories in order to make themselves more sellable is the curious case of Aerie. The lifestyle and apparel brand has unveiled the new campaign for its ongoing #AerieReal initiative. The aim of this initiative is to welcome new brand ambassadors that reflect the message it hopes to convey with the #AerieReal story. Its goal is to push real voices and stories to the forefront and celebrate a community that promotes power and positivity. In fact, it has started the campaign with actresses like Antonia Gentry alongside singer Kelsea Ballerini, TikTok creators the NaeNaeTwins and wheelchair dance team the Rollettes, and gold medalist Aly Raisman in the continuing creation of the #AerieReal community. The aim is to make them feel good and comfortable with who they are and embrace life with open arms. In fact, the company has designed innerwear entirely to celebrate this comfort and revolves around retro fleeces, 70’s silhouettes and plaid pieces with items created to be transitional season styles. The brand will also be expanding its collection of underwear, including its Mom undies and cotton bralettes.
- Building Product Excitement Launch
The best way to excite people for a new product is by launching a teaser or silhouette image of the product that keeps them guessing what and when the new thing is launching in the fashion market. Gone are those days when customers would only know about starting the new collection line through physical shopping or fashion weeks. Since the inception of the internet and its interference in the fashion industry, it has become easier for brands to attract new buyers with their new product lines. Consider the case of Saweetie and McDonald’s, who have collaborated on limited merchandise collection. Together, they will feature a range of streetwear, with colourful unisex items inspired by Saweetie’s love of airbrush. By announcing the collaboration on Twitter, both bigshots have led their consumers to guess and allowed their sales to swell up in no time.
The collection includes over ten fashion apparel design, including several oversized sweatshirts, colourful shorts and caps, each with prints representing Saweetie’s interests and lifestyle. Designs feature several 90’s aesthetic patterns and prints alongside the iconic McDonald ‘M’ logo and pictures from The Saweetie Meal on offer at the restaurants.
Similarly, the Chat-based commerce platform Threads Styling plans to hand over part of the power to independent businesses that will allow them to access the platform’s technology, global sourcing network, and curate style content. The aim of the service is to empower independent entrepreneurs to build up their businesses with tools aimed to provide them with the network to do so. The aim of this initiative is to target and expand its community in the U.S. and Asia-Pacific regions. Partners can then invoice and service customers across many platforms, with a bonus of accessing the company’s luxury sourcing network. Thus, it will enable them to directly connect with their buyers and launch their products through various social media platforms.
- Offering Direct Shopping Link to Consumers
As discussed above, through social commerce, brands can directly sell their products to their customers through their various social media accounts. Thus, helping them to do more business across various continents at the same time. Many retailers, such as Shien, have capitalized on this trend, and consequently, it has become the world’s largest online-only retailer. The pandemic has been the greatest contributor to the boon of the company, as the Chinese e-tailer’s app racked up more than 81 million downloads around the world. According to analytics firms App Annie and Sensor Tower, in the first half of this year, it successfully overtook Amazon as the most installed shopping app in the United States across the App Store, and Google Play combined. Statistics by Bloomberg also support the notion, as in the last year’s May, Shein’s app became the most downloaded one in the United States and worldwide with 17.5 million downloads.
The e-retailer has surpassed its direct competitors, such as Zara and H&M, and shave come in the intense competition with the British fast-fashion retailer’s Boohoo and ASOS. On May 11, Shein became the top shopping app on Android by new downloads in the U.S., and six days later took the top spot on iOS as well, according to App Annie. It briefly topped the Android chart in late April. Shein also climbed to the No.1 place on the App Store chart, which measures a combination of downloads, velocity and a few other signals to determine ranks, published Tech Crunch.
- Offering Discounts
Offering discounts is the best thing that fashion apparel design brands can adopt to entice their buyers. Discounts help brands to sell more products and the ones that have remained unsold in the past year. Therefore, brands such as Modcloth often share promo codes with their Twitter followers. The researches have shown that 63 per cent of consumers follow brands on social media for this purpose. It also shows shoppers are more likely to buy less expensive goods (or those under $100) via social media. However, suppose you are least interested in selling your products on sale. In that case, you can share your products with high-end customers and highlight those qualities that enable them to connect with them and offer more accessibility. You can then start to build a relationship and introduce that customer to more expensive options later on.
The Advantage is For Those Who Make the First Move
Social selling and social commerce are relatively new concepts in the fashion industry; as a result, many brands are still figuring out ways to entice their buyers using the latest trends. However, the winners will indeed be those who make the first move and never shy away from experimenting with social media, its trends, and influencers. In the last year, we have seen how much people have relied on social media, and its dependency is not anticipated to slow down anytime sooner. The online dress designer tool by iDesigniBuy enables fashion apparel design to thrive in the market through its customization solution and allow buyers to share their creative side on the social media platform. Thus, offering a subtle promotion of the company. We offer the best robust business solutions that have the potential to boost conversions.
If you are willing to venture into social commerce,
