THE KEY THINGS THAT FASHION E-TAILERS DO TO ACHIEVE LONG-TERM ONLINE SUCCESS!
In today's digital world, we spend a lot of our day staring at a computer or mobile screen, soaking in much more information than our brains can healthily process and sharing our life events with others.
This modern way of content sharing and discovery affects us all and is especially important within the fickle fashion industry due to it's highly visual, aesthetic nature.
CONTENT IS KEY
Today, we are what we share, and this is how brands build their unique identities and online presence. Brands need to be a constant source of new fashion ideas and inspiration. Followers ensue and it snowballs from there.
If you are a Fashion start-up aiming to exploit curated fashion opportunities, you must learn how to be unique and selective to draw people away from the major players, but still be broad enough to scale and yet, offer a luxury buying experience.
Digital-driven fashion brands, sell design directly to the consumer at high gross margins, without fixed retail costs and above all - low customer acquisition costs because of Social Media.
These companies are targeting the new age Internet generation while taking a dramatically different approach. They have
re-defined fashion retail by mastering what sells fashion - 'content'.
They sell more than just clothes, they sell an online fashion experience. With the power of curated content, these companies have become a stamp of approval for their customers for fashion discovery.
These new wave fashion retail companies share a common trait; they are extremely tech savvy and understand how to leverage the 'new' internet and especially social media as their marketing & distribution channels.
BUILDING BRAND LOYALTY
The key to building a successful e-commerce business lies in attracting loyal customers that repeat buy, but also share their experiences with their friends and family on Social Media.
In the Fashion retail industry, brands set the foundation to build lifetime customer value on needs such as:
Perceived value
Personalised Shopping Experiences
Honest, Openness & Realness
Fashion Supply Management
Involving customers in growth
PERCEIVED VALUE
Perceived value is what a customer believes products to be worth. Compared to the real value of the product, perceived value is more difficult to measure directly; yet it has a greater impact on its value to the customer. Having said that, perceived value of products offered by a brand is also measured by the brand loyalty, awareness and positive associations which the brand has instilled in its target market.
1. COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS
In physical fashion stores, product display is a critical component of a customer's showroom experience, where brand owners invest heavily on displays to make the product look larger than life.
The emergence of Social commerce when information sharing is becoming more and more visual, with product photos, your customers need to be convinced about the product value.
Close-up shot of details, fabrics, branding elements and trims communicate the quality and value of garments to your audience, whilst giving an in-depth look at your product. Videos are also an excellent way of getting your brand messages across, showing garments being worn by models or general fabric movement.
2. PACKAGING IS EVERYTHING
Online fashion retailers must showcase attractive product packaging to visitors to increase perceived value of their products, compensating for the experience lag as compared to if they were in a physical store.
Showing product packaging gives customers a glimpse into the product's delivery experience before they place an order.
The use of embossed logos on boxes, crisp tissue paper and the hand-finish ribbon ties, all add up to an enjoyable and memorable "opening" experience on delivery.
3. GREAT PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS
With the increasing maturity of Social Media as a marketing channel, fashion e-tailers no longer have to write long meta tags and product descriptions to please Google. You can now focus on writing clear product descriptions to communicate the product’s value to the customer and story behind it.
Give detailed information on sizing, fit and garment aftercare to avoid returns later.
4. YOUR BRAND STORY
Brand founders should clearly explain their background as customers who follow lifestyle brands are always interested in the stories behind brands and want to know that they fit into their hopes, dreams and aspirations.
Show your passion for the business through a dedicated "About Us" page on your site and include imagery, videos and quotes that inspire and motivate.
Part 2 covers the personalised shopping experience and the many ways you can enchant your audience online.
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Over two decades worth of experience within the luxury and commercial sectors of the fashion industry has given Tiffany the know-how you need for your brand.
With both her craft as a freelance fashion designer and curiosity and vision as a forecaster, she has built a reputation for accurate trend prediction and design development.