Rana Sidahmed
Global Creative Director Avery Dennison RBIS
Brands have to be mindful of placement, density, and material
Avery Dennison RBIS is a global leader in apparel and footwear branding, packaging, labelling and RFID solutions. Rana Sidahmed, Global Creative Director talks to Fibre2Fashion about the future of retailing and the company's Power of Branding study.
Please share the important findings of the Power of Branding study at Avery Dennison RBIS.
Branding influences value perception. What branding you put on a product influences the consumer's perception of the value of a piece of apparel. For example, when it comes to fashion tops, people really care about the quality of the woven label inside the top. To them, that signifies how valuable it is. A back patch on denim --- if it is quality leather, for instance --- affects perception as well.
Not all apparel branding is created equal. A brand will want to optimise for purchase intent and spending more on a hang tag is important for denim rather than in a fashion top. The right branding can drive buying intent and increase perceived value. Sometimes there is the right combination of branding for a specific garment. In denim, the back patch and hangtag are what you are paying attention to. It is the same for the inside woven label of a fashion top.
Sustainability matters especially in Asia and the European Union. People care not only about what the clothes are made of, but where they are made and who made them. According to the 2016 Aspirational Consumer Index, about 78 per cent of consumers believe they can change how a company behaves based on their purchasing decisions, compared to 66 per cent of total consumers.
How is sustainability used as a tool to strengthen a brand or retailer’s branding activity? Has Avery Dennison measured this to show quantifiable or tangible results?
People want to know who made their clothes, what they are made of, whether they are manufactured ethically and sustainably. It is an opportunity for brands to be honest and connect on a deeper level with their consumers who are much more aware today than they were even a couple of years ago.
We are making strides to quantify the environmental and social impact of our work by grading products on a sustainability scale using the Higg index which measures facility outputs and sets a barometer of transparency to measure impact of brand and product. We are using future fit business benchmarks to grade our products and to quantify how sustainable they are, while developing a roadmap to increase their sustainability. This ultimately allows us to put a system in place so the sustainability of the portfolio increases over time.
What are the new trends in packaging and sustainability?
Brands are always evaluating packaging. Reduction is the key. When packaging cannot be eliminated, other alternatives are implemented where packaging can be reused, or is made from renewable or recycled materials and may even be compostable.
What does branding mean in today's global world? What major challenges do retailers face?
People are spending much more time and money on experiences than on things. So we are confronted with figuring out how we can create an experience through branding. How can we provide consumers with experiences while they are shopping? How do we make it meaningful? Then, there are issues of sustainability and transparency.
A recent example of this was seen in our collaboration with New York-based menswear brand Rochambeau and the Bright BMBR jacket. Using Avery Dennison's Janela solution powered by Evrythng Smart Products Platform, the jacket offered consumers access to unique personalised experiences through the jacket itself, like access to exclusive NYC restaurants, nightclubs and art galleries through our Janela solution. The jacket then became the wearer's VIP pass to the Rochambeau Autumn/Winter 2017 catwalk show last Fall at New York Fashion Week.
What kind of branding or retailing solutions are faring well among apparel consumers?
People are thinking of functionality. It is at the heart of every decision being made, based on RBIS' creative insights. There is definitely a push for more visible texture as well whether it is in branding or hang tags or external embellishments. This helps create an experience when you touch it. Even though functionality is at the heart of the decision-making, consumers are still interested in being engaged by the brand or product story.
With the emergence of smart products, including the Janela solution, brands can digitise products at the point of manufacture enabling apparel and footwear products to be 'born digital' or created with a unique, serialised label and digital identity in the Cloud that can access applications and analytics managed by Evrythng's platform. For fashion brands, this is the gateway to elevated consumer experience.
RBIS is using technologies to work together to drive efficiency, speed and seamless experience.
What are the broad branding trends among top apparel retailers worldwide?
Uncoated paper stocks, bio inks and simple, refined, natural-looking materials are a trend brands are after, because of a push toward sustainability and a desire to show consumers they care. This is no longer 'greenwashing,' but that the look and feel of a garment helps portray that it was in fact made in a sustainable way. The concept of personalisation is blowing up as well. Customers want the feeling of something having been created just for them, rather than being mass produced. There is a human element involved in the process. These small personalisations are becoming the expectation. It is no longer one-size-fits-all. Overall, brands are looking to simplify their message and their branding.
Can branding solutions like using external embellishments drive sales?
Yes, absolutely. External embellishments are the most important feature across all countries for branding. However, the most preferred option differs across item type and across brands. External embellishments are most critical on denim, with the pack patch, while heat transfers highlight brands on performance tops.
What percentage of consumers considers sustainability in clothing an important parameter for a purchase decision?
From our findings, consumers across the globe are most interested in buying garments made in a socially responsible way. Of these, here is the breakup:
87 per cent Chinese consumers
72 per cent European consumers
50 per cent American consumers
These statistics are breathing and living as more consumers are made aware of the importance of sustainability. About 88 per cent of consumers expect brands to take measures to be environmentally friendly (Curve Report 2013).
Which top three factors influence the purchase decisions of clothing shoppers?
This depends on where you are regionally and the type of product. However, external embellishments are generally the most important feature overall. For fashion tops, interior labels rise in importance, particularly in China. A majority of consumers are willing to pay more for products produced in a more socially and environmentally responsible way.
What is the future of branding in apparel retail?
The apparel and footwear industry is heading in the direction of less is more, so there has to be a vital reason for any piece of branding on a garment or accessory. Brands have to be mindful about placement, density, and material. It is a more strategic approach that moves beyond haphazardly placing different branding elements on a piece of apparel. Branding is as much about sustainability as it is about competition.
How do you see the business of retail evolve in the next five years?
The way we shop is changing and retailers are evolving to support multichannel platforms, customer service via chat bots, marketing with artificial intelligence (AI) products and more.
The shopping experience must also be seamless between channels. There is an evolution between brick and mortar and online shopping. The former is becoming smaller and shops are more like showrooms for people to touch and feel products, creating an experience space for them to build interest in a product and purchase online. We are going beyond the product and retail brands are becoming content providers, influencers and experience platforms.
Published on: 10/05/2017
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
