The fashion industry is no longer what it used to be. If we could take our memories back decades when we hit our full fast mode. However, the growth of mass production is rapidly countering the growing interest in sustainability, and fashion brands must adopt more technological solutions to balance nature and profit. This is how personalization emerged, which helps fashion design garment brands achieve all their goals and also protects nature. Clothing design software also helps brands meet all the demands and trends of the online market. Bespoke solutions help brands seamlessly integrate digital technology into their business models and streamline their entire supply chain. It is the epitome of bringing together the better of the two worlds, where customers wear what they do and at the same time help brands take control of production.
Fashion Design Garment provides apparel brand solutions for a seamless transition to e-commerce
It is undeniable that the fashion industry has been hit hard by the impact of COVID-19. These disturbances result in changes in consumer preferences and sentiments. According to the Boston Consulting Group, sales in the fashion industry fell by more than a third in 2020 to about $640 billion in sales. This is huge for an industry that thrives on a fast-paced lifestyle and believes in change over time. But it also serves as a warning to many brands that are reluctant to change their business model. The facts show that some of the leading brands have suffered from not being digitally local, including H&M and Zara. H&M is reportedly planning to close 250 of its 5,000 stores worldwide, and Zara owner Inditex SA closed more than 1,000 retail stores early last year. The fashion giants feel that the world will remain a happy place and thrive in the market with their ancient strategy. Several brands have undoubtedly benefited from the strategy, and a real example of them is Boohoo, which went public and sparked new ecommerce creators Pretty Little Thing and Nasty Gal and fueled their online growth. In fact, several established fashion giants have turned their seats into stage shows at Fashion Week, with Chanel showing off her latest collection on a giant airline and Tommy Hilfiger building an entire indoor mini beach full of boardwalks.
As the saying goes, it seems calmer when you are in the eye of the storm. And when the situation worsens and losses begin, some brands are caught unexpectedly. However, many retailers and brands are rushing to see the potential for a pandemic and see a transition to e-commerce platforms to do business in silver. As a result, the fashion design garment industry has had to update its operating regime and rewrite its strategies and approaches to help brands digitize. The declaration of transition to the online market came late, but managed to dissolve its operating rules. In addition, moving to remote work and purchasing items that are used regularly, such as sports and recreation, are quickly becoming the focus of many other clothing items. When people have no physical connection with the outside world, they can wear funky headscarves and pants. So there is no talk of buying a modern toilet. However, when brands started experimenting with their profits and business models, and introducing digital tools to make shopping a fun and lifelong experience, history began to change.
What will the future of the fashion industry look like?
Obviously, the pandemic has opened many gaps in the fashion design garment industry and taught a lesson to be prepared for any situation at all times. Digital technology offers fashion brands a similar choice and allows them to spread their wings to accentuate their presence. Although the apparel industry stalled during the pandemic, it is still in better shape than other industries and also has the power of modern technology that continues to provide strong support. The situation may call for an interesting challenge; it could go further with modern solutions. It is clear that clothing use is declining worldwide, and a report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation shows that the average amount of clothing worn has decreased by 36% from 15 years ago, and even more in high-income countries.
As the world changes its norms and allows people to see each other online rather than face to face, the trend of buying less – and wearing more – is fueling the rise of style-conscious social media users. Pre-pandemic stories are full of influential people on Instagram who’ve bought items for photos of clothes before returning them. As a result, brands are starting to use AI on their websites and communicate directly with their customers. According to Gartner CEO and analyst Brian Manusama, around 25% of companies plan to deploy AI technology as chatbots in the coming months. Stakeholders recognize the advantages of chatbots and other digital solutions. They are designed to add a more personal touch to shopping, which can lead to customer satisfaction and increased sales.
In addition, when dealing with customers who talk to Zoom all the time, brands have seen an opportunity to contact them more transparently and offer them offline shopping. The case from Dior strongly supports the idea of opening a virtual store with a 360-degree view and allowing customers to walk through the entire store and view items just like in a regular retail store. Other leading fashion houses such as Dolce & Gabbana and Ralph Lauren are also repeating virtual retail success stories to attract their shoppers.
The facts and figures presented above show how important and beneficial it is for brands to adopt new technology solutions to increase their sales.
Let’s talk about other factors that help brands succeed in the apparel market with digital solutions.
Here are the trends that are driving the use of virtual solutions for success in the fashion industry:
Social media is a powerful tool:
The power of social media is open and has played an important role in initiating the moments that shape the world we live in. It helps people express their opinions freely and offers the opportunity to reach millions of people at the same time. Platforms have always been a source of social and political change around the world. Comments, videos and images can hit or break anyone. Moreover, it is a very great tool to market your products and thoughts to people who live in different parts of the world and have different time zones. Many brands have successfully used paid advertising for their marketing campaigns. Domestic brands have taken full advantage of the platform digitally. Its local social media ads have become a great way to create an authentic online marketing campaign. It is the best marketing tool that guarantees sales, turnover and long term which is hard to achieve, especially when travel to and from the site is restricted.
Recent developments on the social media platform suggest that it will continue to increase sales. For example, Twitter is ready to control the shopping function directly on the brand page and is always connecting the latest social media giants to the hot online shopping market with a new pilot function so that users can buy products directly from the brand profile. The company owners said they considered adding a “Buy Now” button, product page, and product collection in 2015, but ultimately chose not to “focus on other areas.” The website follows in the footsteps of Snapchat, Tiktok, Pinterest, and Facebook, which have offered similar shopping features in the past. Your decision to rethink the idea of ”shopping modules” allows Twitter users to buy products directly from branded pages.
E-commerce that provides the mileage clothing brands need:
We can only talk about digital solutions because of e-commerce. Online shopping gained popularity long before the pandemic broke out; however, a new form of shopping suddenly developed after it spread. Since people are required to work from home and their freedom of movement outside the home is severely restricted, online shopping offers them the opportunity to feel at ease. They can view different clothing collections and compare product quality and prices by browsing different websites. Shopping for the comfort of home is something that customers always value. Therefore, many brands that were previously physical-based stores have switched to online storefronts. It also gives brands of many start-ups and SMEs a unique opportunity to quickly adapt to changing shopping trends.
Similarly, sustainable textile maker Aquafil has launched a new shopping platform for Econyl, a reclaimed nylon made from recycled waste. The new e-commerce storefront allows shoppers to browse global brands with Eocnyl Regenerated Nylon and provides information on innovative fibers and the broader topics of sustainability and roundness. The new online platform will start with 15 brands, including ACE, C’est la V, Ludovica Gualtieri Milano and many more. A sustainable brand will allow brands to determine their demands based on ethical and eco-friendly parameters. Econyl was taken over by fashion giants such as Burberry, Prada, Adidas and Speedo.
3D fashion design software also works the same way, allowing ecommerce clothing brands to offer personalized services to their customers. This tool supports brand consumers in designing their clothes with the help of digital functions and in making the smallest changes to clothing designs from the comfort of their own homes. In the past we have helped Customstyle to provide an innovative customer experience on their website. Once our tools are integrated into your website, your customers can access them via widgets, which makes them easy to use and gives shoppers one platform to use an innovative and attractive platform to create personalized clothing.
Inclusive fashion emerges as a new trend
Another important aspect of using digital technology in business models for clothing brands is the unification of people of all skin colors, races, genders and body types at one table. Last year we saw a lot of hashtags trending on social media and most of them were aimed at offering inclusive fashion. Hashtags like #blacklivesmatter have been visible on Instagram and Twitter for several days, and many brands are being called upon to promote beauty and physique in some way. The fashion design garment industry is accused of only accommodating white and skinny people. With this idea, many brands changed their marketing style and embraced all kinds of models. However, had they introduced digital technology sooner, they would not have faced this criticism.
Virtual technology allows shoppers to scan their bodies and try on the clothes that best suit their personalities and, most importantly, what they like to wear. Digitization has the power to give buyers control over what is produced, for whom it is produced, and how it should be produced. No wonder the new generation is so fascinated by the latest developments in the clothing sector. Similar to virtual tailoring, inclusion technology allows shoppers to see a wider variety of sizes and skin tones of clothing models to reflect the buyer’s own appearance. As Kayla Marci, market analyst at Retail and Fashion Technology told Retail Dive, “67% of American women are a size 14 and have a need for fashion products regardless of size.”
Sustainability is a driving force for millennials
Since the start of 2021, fashion has become a status symbol more than ever. As a result, shoppers tend to spend their money on clothing or fashion accessories only if they are loyal and demonstrate an intention to practice sustainability. Some examples of the luxury goods market, such as the concrete jungle, show that when brands are well-meaning and motivated to work with buyers to offer a bright and secure future, customers hold on to it thick and thin. Undoubtedly, fashion brands are doing nothing to be more sustainable and meet the emerging needs of their customers. They have various efforts on their part that have helped them stand out from the competition, and most of these opportunities are not directly related to COVID-19. However, in 2021, it will be more important than ever for fashion brands to tell stories that will entice customers to buy. Focusing on corporate sustainability and social responsibility is a great way to get people connected to a brand, leading to greater buying interest in the fashion design garment brand.
Moreover, technology has played an important role in turning fast fashion design garment brands green. This is why US denim brands like Madewell are launching new used fashion platforms with the help of resale giant ThredUp. A new platform called “Madewell Forever” uses ThredUp’s Resale as a Service (RaaS) to give new life to women’s favorite jeans. Launched last week, the platform currently has over 3,000 products with new styles being added every hour as they become available.
Summing up:
This blog is an attempt to enlighten fashion brands about how retail has changed. Rising last-mile shipping costs and environmental concerns fueled by the e-commerce boom are forcing fashion retailers to explore new shipping and collection methods. The past year has been a lesson for clothing brands to highlight improving the quality of products and services that can attract people and make them shop from the comfort of their homes. Brands that fail to meet these changing expectations will struggle to thrive yesterday in the post-pandemic digital age, unless they rethink their physical assets and make significant improvements to their logistics network. iDesigniBuy’s 3D clothing design software lets clothing brands go the extra mile and helps them stay in the spotlight during the pandemic. The digital capabilities built into personalization features allow apparel manufacturers and retailers to earn customer trust by making shopping safer. Business solutions help them switch to online shopping while maintaining a physical business. He helps brands navigate the digital terrain and experts help him understand these technology trends to be more competitive in 2021 and beyond.
Connect with us today!
