Gone are those days when fashion designers and apparel retailers, along with the media, used to set the market trends for clothing. With the advent of internet, apparel retailing, especially e-commerce, is mainly driven by the consumers.In a conversation with fibre2fashion, Mr. Paul Kendrick, marketing director of JD Williams Group, one of the leading online apparel companies in the UK, said, “The customer has to be heart of everything and the web has made them more knowledgeable about apparel trends and pricing.”
“The consumers of clothing are engaging with retailers more than ever before through a multitude of devices and touchpoints. All of this creates a wealth of data which retailers have to analyse to ensure their sales strategies are effective,” he informs.
In the same vein, Felicia Persand, owner of Bela Criacao, a New-York based fashion firm, says, “With a new influx of digital innovations and marketing opportunities, consumers are looking for a deeper connection with the apparel brands.”
“The garment brands need to construct a credible context for clothing across all digital platforms, from e-commerce to social media to attract more consumers towards the brand,” she informs.
Talking about what attracts consumers, Mr. Anurag Rajpal, CEO of The American Swan Lifestyle Company, an online fashion and lifestyle brand in India, says, “The market trends of clothing are tracked and analyzed on key looks, items, colours and fabrics and they are driving retail as well as e-tail today.”
“The most important factor in apparel retailing is to stay ahead of the curve to be able to constantly innovate, adapt and offer a differentiation to the existing and potential customer,” he concludes.