Fashion ecommerce: 8 trends and stats that will make you rethink your strategy
In the whirlwind of the fashion world, keeping your finger on the pulse of shifts in the industry is a necessity. Fashion brands are constantly striving to adapt and innovate to stay ahead of the curve.
What worked yesterday may not be valid tomorrow, and you might need to rethink your game plan to outpace the competition.
This article will reveal eight cutting-edge trends that can revolutionize your ecommerce strategy and put your brand on the fast track to success.
We’ll take a closer look at the following trends:
AI-driven personalization for unforgettable customer experiences
Social commerce: make the most of shoppable content
Ethical and sustainable fashion: catering to conscious consumers
Augmented reality (AR) for immersive shopping experiences
The mobile shopping era
Voice commerce: embracing the future of shopping
Influencer marketing: tap into the talent of brand ambassadors
The rise of second-hand fashion: a vintage twist to modern retailing
Trend 1: Leverage AI-driven personalization for unforgettable customer experiences
Artificial intelligence (AI) is sweeping the world and transforming fashion ecommerce by offering customers a level of personalization that was previously unattainable. Machine learning algorithms can analyze tons of consumer data. With that data, AI can figure out each customer's unique style, likes and dislikes, shopping habits, and help you adjust your brand’s offering to them.
Use cases of personalization can be as simple as product recommendation or AI-powered chatbots using NLP and machine learning that make them capable of understanding context and engaging in full conversation with a customer.
Personalized product listening
To provide an excellent shopping experience, brands can incorporate personalized product listing pages using tools such as Depict. While browsing product pages, users can pin items they like and create a personal listing page, making it easier for them to go back to that page and finish shopping.
Example of personalized product listening by Depict
Automated mailings and offers
As part of their omnichannel strategy, Sandqvist’s online store built on Centra uses Rule's Marketing Automation tools to handle on-site customer service automatically. This way, the brand sends customers relevant offers and messages based on registered purchases through Sitoo's cash register system and customer insights collected from all contact channels.
AI-driven product recommendations
Product recommendations bring in revenue and encourage repeat visits. That’s why investing in tools that help you personalize recommendations is crucial. An AI-driven product recommendations engine lets you suggest similar or complementary products to customers.
Depending on what your customers like, you can make relevant recommendations. And if your product is out of stock, you can show buyers items that are visually similar to those they were interested in.
Another advantage of personalized product recommendations is that they let shoppers discover more about your offering and explore your product catalog.
For instance, the fashion brand Gina Tricot uses the Depict recommendation engine, which allows it to suggest products more attractively on the product details page. By making shopping enjoyable, they’ve achieved a 35% spike in the conversion rate.
Using AI for visual search
With AI-enabled visual search, customers can upload images of items they like and receive personalized recommendations for products that match their search. Searching for products without typing a word is now possible with machine learning algorithms that understand the context of these images.
If a customer is looking for a piece of clothing with an intricate pattern, uploading a photo will be much easier than describing the design, color or sleeve length.
Example of using AI visual search by pixyle.ai
The impact of personalization on consumer satisfaction
Epsilon’s research shows that 80% of consumers are more likely to purchase from a brand that customizes the experience for them. Brands can improve their offerings and interactions with customers by applying personalization. It’s a win-win situation – consumers find products that fit their needs and feel catered to, while brands increase their chances of building a loyal and satisfied consumer base. This affects fashion brands’ bottom line by helping to drive overall sales and avoid costly product returns.
Additionally, personalization makes buying more efficient. When a customer often buys a certain product, brands can apply AI-based personalization to suggest that product to them and save them time. Tailored recommendations also let customers navigate a company's merchandise easily and present them options that are likely to appeal to them.
However, if done wrong, personalization can seem annoying or even intrusive. Additionally, brands should be transparent about how they use their customers' data and let them modify their personalization preferences.
How to integrate AI-powered personalization into your fashion ecommerce strategy?
What fuels personalization in your store is data. You’ll need to combine customer information gathered from their touchpoints with your brand. These include the first-party data you’ve obtained directly from shoppers, website and mobile app activity, behavioral data, CRM and offline data as well. Plus, you can link it with information about past purchases and transactions, customer service interactions and demographic details.
With this data at your fingertips, you can understand your customers buying behaviors, interests, tastes and engagement with your brand.
Enter the magic of AI algorithms: they take the gathered data, process it and feed suggestions tailored to each buyer. For your customers, the experience will be like having their own shopping assistant who knows their style inside out.
Next, brands need to implement this across the customer journey. This is done by adjusting product displays on your website, suggesting relevant items on the product page and in the cart, or sending tailored follow-ups. The goal is to add a personal touch at each touchpoint of customer interaction.
You can automate these workflows and offer real-time personalization by investing in AI and machine-learning tools. Also, using customer feedback and data analysis to refine your personalization strategy is crucial.
For the ins and outs of how personalization works, check out our comprehensive guide.
Trend 2: Social commerce: Make the most of shoppable content
The growing engagement and exposure of social media is providing fashion brands with an excellent medium to promote their products and drive sales. It’s called social commerce, and it merges social media with ecommerce.
With features such as Instagram's shopping tag, Facebook shops and Pinterest's buyable pins, customers can buy fashion items without leaving the social network. This allows brands to create a smooth shopping experience.
The force driving social commerce is that it “offers something radically different from traditional ecommerce by weaving buying and selling into the fabric of everyday life and through a real sense of community and connection,” as noted in Accenture’s report. This need for connection has been strengthened by the pandemic. For fashion brands, it creates opportunities to expand their reach.
Moreover, creating a community on their website lets brands steer clear of the hazards associated with growing their business on social media platforms, which can change their policies and algorithms, or even lead to brands being banned.
Why should you consider social commerce? Let's look at the stats:
Globally, the social commerce market is expected to grow to more than $2 trillion by 2025 (Statista). This presents a significant growth opportunity for fashion brands to expand their reach, customer engagement, and revenue growth.
On average, people in the 16 to 64-year-old demogrphic spend 2 hours and 29 minutes per day on social media (source: Backlinko). Social media platforms have enormous followings. By incorporating ecommerce, you can reach more people and enhance your brand’s visibility.
In the US, UK, Ireland, Germany and France, 74% of respondents are influenced by social media ads, and 71% of global consumers purchased something from a social media ad in the past year. (Business Wire)
Facebook is the most popular website for direct purchases, chosen by 19%, followed by Twitter at 10%. (Aimia)
How fashion brands excel in social commerce
Let's find out how fashion brands are tapping into social commerce by mixing style and technology to boost their business.
Djerf Avenue
Djerf Avenue, a non-seasonal fashion brand, is a great example of a brand driving ecommerce transformation with community building. The brand was created in 2019 by Matilda Djerf, a Swedish influencer, and her boyfriend, Rasmus Johansson. With revenue of over USD $2 million in its first year, the company has now multiplied that figure and has offices in both Sweden and the US. Having over 3 million Instagram followers and 1.2 million TikTok followers, Djerf Avenue's success is largely due to Matilda’s personal brand.
Angels Avenue is a dedicated section on the brand's website where users, including Matilda, upload their images, share their storyboards and style pins, comment and like the content.
Examples of style boards done by the brand’s community called Djerf Angels on djerfavenue.com
The members of the brand’s community, called Djerf Angels, adore the brand, which is visible in that community space and branded socials.
Matilda Djerf is the creative director of the company and her personal style contributes to the brand's offerings. Being aware of the influence her appearance has on followers, Matilda promotes a positive body image. Her brand supports the natural, genuine looks of models and unedited, raw photos. This approach helps Matilda to maintain and grow her fanbase and stay current with the latest fashion photography trend that promotes authenticity and inclusivity.
Matilda uses her social media channels to discuss important issues such as mental health and her eating disorders, both to help people with similar experiences and raise awareness about those topics.
Eton
Eton, the Swedish luxury, global menswear brand, applies various strategies and techniques to engage with its audience and drive sales using social media.
Eton has a strong presence on such social platforms as Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. The brand creates high-quality and visually appealing content, regularly posts updates, showcases its latest collections and features user-generated content (UGC). Thanks to this, it has built a loyal community of customers.
UGC on Eton’s Instagram
The brand takes advantage of social media to offer exclusive deals and promotions to its followers.
Eton has a Facebook Store so customers can browse, select, and purchase products without leaving the social platform.
Eton’s shop on Facebook
How fashion brands use social commerce to maximize their business potential
For fashion brands that want to harness the potential of social commerce, the starting point is to optimize their social media presence – regularly post high-quality, engaging content and highlight their products. Adding shopping tags on posts and stories to link directly to their products is a must.
Another step is to utilize user-generated content (UGC), such as reviews, photos, videos, and social media posts. It lets you build trust and authenticity when people share how they use your products. UGC has a major influence on 79% of people's buying decisions, according to Nosto.
Example of an UGC on Gina Tricot’s Instagram
Moreover, over 12,500 brands and retailers surveyed by Bazaarvoice Network found that engagement by shoppers with UGC led to 144% conversion lifts and 162% revenue boosts. UGC serves as a significant social proof. In product reviews, brands can use it by linking to users' social media accounts.
The way to navigate social commerce successfully is to team up with influencers whose audience matches your target audience. This way you can broaden your reach and boost your conversion rate.
But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Social media platforms offer robust advertising options that allow your brand to reach more people and improve sales. For example, you can run targeted ad campaigns based on the demographics, interests, and preferences of your desired audience. In these ads, you can include shoppable links or call-to-action buttons that take users to product pages or checkout.
Trend 3: Ethical and sustainable fashion: catering to conscious consumers
We see burgeoning demand for ethical and sustainable practices across the ecommerce fashion industry. As modern consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of environmental and social issues, they’re leaning towards brands that share the same values. 68% of US internet users consider sustainability when making a purchase, and 47% are willing to pay more for it, as CGS survey shows.
To respond to this trend, brands need to prioritize eco-friendly practices. They need to focus on the social impact of the industry. This includes fair treatment of workers that ensures fair wages, safe working conditions, and no child or forced labor, as well as animal welfare, and support for cultural traditions. It’s critical to consider the entire product lifecycle, from sourcing and production to transportation, use, and disposal or recycling.
For some brands this might require just tweaking their strategy, while for others, a complete makeover of how they operate. McKinsey’s ‘The State of Fashion’ report finds that “[s]ustainability presents the biggest opportunity and inflation the greatest threat to the fashion industry in 2023.”
Source: The State of Fashion report
How to implement green strategies in your fashion brand’s strategy
To integrate green strategies into their operations, fashion brands need a sustainable mindset and a holistic approach covering all aspects of their operations, from sourcing to packaging.
Here are some helpful tactics:
Sustainable materials – Using durable fabrics that are environmentally friendly, such as organic cotton, nylon, silk, wool, linen, Eco Vero viscose, hemp, bamboo, or recycled materials.
Ethical sourcing – Ensuring that the materials your brand uses are sourced responsibly and in accordance with worker and environmental regulations. This takes into account the consequences for local communities where materials are sourced. Often, green strategies involve long-term relationships with manufacturers to continually refine sustainability.
Longevity of products – Making products durable and long-lasting to reduce the need to replace them. Brands can offer repair services or advice to help customers keep their clothes in good shape over time.
Cutting waste – It requires making manufacturing processes as waste-free as possible. For instance, by arranging pattern pieces carefully, brands can cut fabric efficiently and minimize scraps. You can also reduce waste by recycling and upcycling, donating unsold items, or minimizing packaging.
Energy efficiency – Using strategies and technologies to minimize energy consumption over the entire clothes lifecycle. This can include using renewable energy sources, sourcing renewable and recycled raw materials for products, and applying methods to cut water use in the manufacturing process.
Transparency – It means that a brand knows all parties involved and shares information with its customers about manufacturing, sourcing, supply chains, and business practices.
Eco-friendly packaging – Choosing packaging that is recyclable, biodegradable or made with recycled materials.
Take-back programs – Offering a program that lets customers return old products for recycling or upcycling. This helps brands to reduce waste and support a circular fashion economy.
Transportation – Fashion brands can reduce the carbon footprint of transporting their products by applying environmentally friendly shipping methods, or combining shipments to reduce delivery trips.
Sustainability by Nudie Jeans
Sustainable fashion isn't just about how it's made, but how brands and consumers can keep clothes going longer or breathe new life into them. Nudie Jeans is an avid supporter of this trend. Among other things, the brand encourages long-term use and repair of jeans, suggesting at least six months of wear before the first wash to save water and make the pair look unique.
The brand provides Reuse Jeans online with pre-owned denim available for purchase.
Nudie Jeans offers free repairs for all their jeans, no matter when or where they were bought. The company also works with wholesale accounts to establish local repair stores, extending repair services and encouraging eco-friendly habits. Customers of the brand who can't access repair shops get a free DIY repair kit. The company promotes reuse over recycling, offering a 20% discount on the next pair for customers returning old jeans.
Sustainability by Björn Borg
Björn Borg caters to the wants of green consumers by producing sustainably sourced and durable products, minimizing transportation and energy consumption, and protecting the environment.
For instance, the brand gives its customers a comprehensive guide on how to wash and dry their clothes so they last longer, and save water and energy.
Björn Borg extensively employs recyclable materials in their store interiors, displays, bags, hangers, and signs. In addition, the brand is committed to using packaging, hang tags, and shipping boxes from responsibly sourced and recycled wood.
For further sustainability, Björn Borg has replaced traditional shipping boxes with ÅterBära™ certified bags made from recycled materials. These bags take less space in transport and are climate-neutral thanks to a certified tree plantation project in Colombia.
Trend 4: Immersive shopping experiences with augmented reality (AR)
Augmented reality (AR) has evolved into a vital tool for brands, revolutionizing the way customers engage with fashion and beauty products. By enabling customers to envision themselves in different outfits and makeup, AR enhances the shopping experience and drives sales.
AR is helping fashion brands create a unified retail experience in-store and online. Brands like Louis Vuitton and Mango employ AR technology through apps that overlay graphics on images or deploy "magic mirrors" in stores. That allows customers to virtually try on clothes, select sizes, and browse color options.
AR’s creative possibilities empower fashion brands to showcase their products, create tutorials for achieving specific looks, and craft immersive experiences to engage and connect with their audience in meaningful ways.
AR technology is gaining ground and fashion brands should pay attention. Here are some numbers showing why it’s worth considering adding AR to your ecommerce tech stack:
The AR market size is expected to rise to $198 billion in 2025, suggesting AR is not a fad but a valuable marketing and sales tool.
The number of AR users keeps growing:
AR influences purchase decisions: Consumers are more likely to purchase when they are presented with branded AR experiences, especially in categories such as home decor (73%), product personalization (73%), virtual try-on (72%), and product demonstration (70%). (Alter Agents, Snap, Inc. and Publicis Media)
There's a big demand for AR: 54% of consumers seek out AR experiences, most often by looking for brand-specific AR through the camera feature on digital platforms, such as Snapchat. (Alter Agents, Snap, Inc. and Publicis Media)
By 2024, InsiderIntelligence estimates mobile AR revenue will reach $23 billion. (Digital Information World)
Social shoppers are taking advantage of new features like VR and AR as the metaverse takes shape. Over 85% of consumers who use VR and AR already do social shopping, and Gen Z (32%) and Millennials (30%) are the most likely to adopt this new shopping method. (Globe Newswire)
How to use AR technology in fashion commerce for immersive customer experience
Augmented reality offers fashion brands multiple ways to improve their marketing efforts and ensure a stellar shopping experience.
The most common examples of employing AR in fashion are virtual fitting rooms and smart mirrors, which enhance the customer's experience with interactive features and personalization. Despite sharing the same technology, smart mirrors and fitting rooms differ in a few ways:
Virtual fitting rooms: With the help of AR, they enable customers to try clothes on virtually. Customers can access these fitting rooms on a computer, tablet, or smartphone. Some virtual fitting rooms use body scanning technology to accurately represent the customer's body, showing how different sizes and styles fit. It’s very useful for online shopping because buyers can't try things on in person.
Smart mirrors: These interactive devices are physical mirrors with built-in cameras and screens. Using a smart mirror, customers can see how clothes look on them and change the garment's color or style without trying them on. These mirrors often can suggest matching accessories. Some smart mirrors offer tailored recommendations based on a customer’s body type, style preferences, and past purchases.
Smart mirrors are typically used in physical retail stores, while virtual fitting rooms are mostly used for online shopping.
AR technology can be a killer tool for improving fashion brands’ social media marketing. Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook support AR filters, which lets you market your products in a fun and exciting way – customers share their virtual try-ons or unique AR experiences on their social accounts.
Finally, brands can apply AR to give customers detailed product information. Customers can see the materials used, the price, available sizes, and styling tips if they point their phone at a garment.
AR examples in fashion commerce
For fashion brands, smart mirrors bring a range of benefits. Thanks to an immersive and engaging experience and brand differentiation, brands can drive more foot traffic to unlock new ways of data collection and analysis for stores, helping to improve inventory management. It can also allow customers to see on the spot what sizes and colors are available.
Mango equipped its flagship store with a digital fitting room. Here, through a digital watch, the customer can scan clothes tags and request different sizes or colors directly from the mirror. The mirror also displays additional clothes or accessories to round out the outfit.
Example of using smart mirrors by Mango (Source)
Nike uses AR for customization. In "Nike By You" studios, shoppers can design their own sneakers and watch them come to life using augmented reality. With this cutting-edge technology, a customer can depart from the studio with a tailor-made pair of Nike Presto in less than an hour.
Zalando launched on Snapchat a virtual dressing app called "Try On". It employs AR tools via Snapchat's Lenses, letting users virtually try on some of Zalando's own brands.
Fendi, apart from virtual fitting rooms, has an AR styling tool enabling the brand's consultants to create various outfit possibilities for customers. It enables buyers to review and assess these styles at their comfort and convenience.
Trend 5: Adapting to the mobile shopping era
Since smart devices are becoming widely used for online shopping, brands need to optimize their ecommerce sites to cater to mobile users and at the same time improve search rankings and drive sales.
Mobile ecommerce, or mcommerce, is on the rise. With 75% of people online using a mobile device, it’s a 4% jump over last year. The Insider Intelligence report says mobile commerce sales will hit $534.18 billion in 2024, or 40.4% of ecommerce sales. There are two devices driving the mcommerce revolution: smartphones and tablets.
How fashion brands can optimize their ecommerce stores for on-the-go shoppers
Fashion brands can tune their ecommerce stores to their always-busy customers by applying the following best practices:
The perfect screen fit: It’s a must for your brand website to use responsive design to ensure it fits every screen, from the grandest tablet down to a compact smartphone.
Intuitive navigation: When you're on mobile, you're working with much less screen space. It’s key to design clear, simple and intuitive navigation. Similar to your well-planned brick-and-mortar store layout, customers want moving around to be easy.
Faster load times: Slow websites often lead to abandoned carts, which hurt your sales. Loading time can affect your search engine ranking. Optimize your website to load faster and ensure an outstanding user experience.
Smooth checkout: A seamless, quick, and painless checkout process is essential for your mobile site. This could mean enabling guest checkout, incorporating digital wallets like Apple Pay, or reducing checkout steps.
Picture perfect: Impressive visuals on a fashion brand site are critical. Use high-quality images and videos that capture every sequin and stitch. You can enhance your site by including zoomable images, and 360-degree views or videos where possible.
Push notification: Keep your customers in the loop with well-timed push notifications about sales, new arrivals, or items back in stock. It's like a personal shopper giving them a nudge about the latest deals.
Getting social: Social media is the catwalk of the online world. Simplify for customers the way they share your products, engage with your brand, and even shop directly from platforms like Instagram or Pinterest.
Test drive. Before your website goes live or after any updates, it requires thorough testing to ensure a frictionless experience. You can also find various tools on the market that replicate how your ecommerce website looks on different devices and check for content relevancy and readability.
No fluff. Your page should be as clutter-free as possible, both in terms of words and images. Ensure your content is relevant to visitors.
Shorter keywords. Mobile users often have specific and localized queries, unlike desktop users who often search for general information. Those users also don't want to type as much, so mobile keywords tend to be shorter.
The perfect spot. Unlike with desktop sites where you have enough space, on mobile it’s better to place the main elements like CTAs and shopping carts above the fold. That makes it eye-catching as well.
Only essential form fields. Typing on mobile devices can be cumbersome. To simplify the user experience, especially in the critical steps in the customer journey such as checkout, cut the number of form fields to a minimum.
Trend 6: Voice commerce: embracing the future of shopping
With voice commerce as the new frontier of online shopping, fashion brands need to understand its key aspects, challenges, and opportunities to effectively adapt to it.
Voice commerce, also called v-commerce, is a type of commerce that lets customers buy things using their voice. Instead of typing keywords or clicking buttons, users speak their orders into a device such as a smartphone or smart speaker, then activate assistants like Amazon's Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple's Siri. By integrating voice shopping capabilities into their offering, brands can tap into a growing market and offer a convenient, keyboard-free shopping experience.
The rapid development of voice-controlled AI technologies, the ubiquity of voice-enabled devices, and the emphasis on engaging with customers effectively are the major drivers of voice commerce. Moreover, advancements in AI and ML have made voice assistants more intelligent, personalized, and context-aware.
For now, voice commerce technology is still in its infancy and plays a small role in the ecommerce landscape. But it’s forecast to surge at a CAGR of 31.2% between 2022 and 2030 to reach approximately $30.72 billion by 2030, as estimated by Market Research Future.
What are the benefits of voice commerce?
Investing in voice shopping technologies can bring fashion brands several benefits:
Convenience: Shopping is easier and faster with voice commerce. Customers can ask their virtual assistant to find a clothing item in their size and color, saving them time and effort. Hands-free ordering is especially convenient for busy customers or those with disabilities, like visual impairments. The buying process is faster and straightforward with voice shopping, so customers are more likely to buy the brand's product.
Customer insights: When a customer interacts with voice commerce technology, their requests, questions, and choices offer brands data about their interests and buying habits.
Better customer experience: 93% of users are happy with voice assistants, proving the potential of voice-powered mobile commerce, as shown in research by PwC. The same study says that “voice assistants help people feel organized (50% agree), informed (45%), happy (37%), smart (35%), confident (31%), and free (30%).”
Efficient customer service: Brands can use voice technology to simplify and improve their customer service – voice assistants can answer common customer questions or assist with returns and order tracking.
Enhanced brand engagement: With voice commerce, brands gain new avenues for engaging with customers. You can program voice assistants to suggest complementary products or services based on past user behaviors and purchases, letting you provide personalized offers. By incorporating voice technology, brands can interact with customers in their daily routines, from offering fashion advice to informing them of new releases or promotions.
How to implement voice commerce into your fashion ecommerce strategy
Here, we'll explore how fashion ecommerce brands can incorporate voice commerce into their strategy:
1. Optimize your online store for voice search. Most voice-activated orders start with a search. That’s why brands should use long-tail keywords and optimize their content for conversational queries so users who use voice search can find products without problems.
For example, instead of using the keyword "women's dresses", try with terms like "women's long summer dresses".
Moreover, a part of the optimization process is describing your product in detail. In this case, a useful practice is to use Schema markup. This is a type of code you add to your website to help search engines understand your content. If you sell skirts, you can apply Schema markup to tell search engines specific details about each skirt, such as the color, size, price, and customer reviews.
2. Create a voice user interface (VUI)
To design a smooth and intuitive interface, it must be able to interact with customers via voice, not text, graphics or touch. This requires designing the conversation flow and prompts that guide customers through voice interaction.
3. Integration with voice assistants
You'll need to integrate your online store with popular voice assistants like Amazon's Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple's Siri. Each platform has its own development kit (like Amazon's Alexa Skills Kit or Google's Actions on Google) that you can use to build voice-enabled functionalities. With these kits, you can create a custom voice shopping skill or action for your brand.
Just as an example, ASOS made a "voice shopping assistant" action for Google Assistant saying "Hey Google, talk to ASOS", Google Assistant opens up the ASOS app. With the ASOS app, users can say things like, "Show me black jackets," or "Can you find me green coats?", and the app will take them through the catalog accordingly.
5. Ensure a secure payment process
Browsing the catalog via voice command is one thing, but shoppers should be able to check out via voice as well. As you integrate Amazon Pay or Apple Pay with voice assistants, ensuring security and transparency of the process is critical in building customer trust and safeguarding your brand from any reputation damage.
6. Test, refine, and repeat
Once you've implemented voice commerce functionality, test it across different devices and platforms. This involves usability testing, gathering customer feedback, and analytics data to understand user behavior patterns. With that data at hand, you’ll be able to review and refine the voice interface, find and fix bugs, tweak the voice assistant's response to certain commands, and make it work better.
Keep in mind that voice technology is still evolving. It’s important to continuously test and iterate voice shopping features for the best experience.
Trend 7: Influencer marketing: tap into the talent of brand ambassadors
In today's digital era, as consumers are becoming more skeptical of traditional advertising, influencer marketing brings to the table authenticity and personalities with a strong following.
Influencer marketing goes beyond promoting a product. It gives fashion brands an effective way to drive engagement and build recognition through brand advocates.
On top of that, influencer marketing boosts sales – it’s the second-highest ROI of the top five marketing trends, as found by HubSpot. In 2023, the influencer marketing industry is expected to reach $21.1 billion, according to Statista.
Influencer marketing is the second-biggest marketing trend with the highest ROI (HubSpot)
The pandemic contributed to influencers' popularity. When it comes to suggesting a brand, product or service, consumers still trust friends, family and influencers more than brands, as a study by Matter Communications reveals. This means investing in that kind of marketing offers brands considerable opportunities to drive revenue.
How to choose the suitable influencer
What’s key in finding the right influencer is ensuring that your target market overlaps with them. The influencer's values should align with your brand. The perfect candidate should be known for their authenticity, as that's what makes your audience trust them. Trust ultimately means that the product recommendations will be more valuable.
Finally, review their previous posts and partnerships to determine their consistency and quality. It’s worth considering smaller influencers, nano- and micro-influencers, who might lack extensive experience but often have a huge and engaged following.
Influencer marketing methods
Here, we’ll dive into the art of influencer marketing and discuss the different methods that can help your fashion brand shine in the digital spotlight.
Sponsored content. Social media influencers are paid to promote brands' products on their channels. This could be a photo, video, blog post, or any other type of content that features the product. This content, however, should be the result of collaboration in order to feel authentic and fit your brand's tone.
Affiliate marketing. In this model, brands provide influencers with a unique discount code or link to share with their audience. When someone buys a brand’s product using that code or link, the influencer earns a commission. It's a win-win, rewarding the influencer for driving sales and promoting your brand.
Brand ambassadors. It’s one of the most effective and long-term successful methods of influencer marketing. Ambassadors usually have a close relationship with the brand, which gives their endorsements a genuine and trustworthy feel. They typically share discount codes, exclusive offers, or limited-time promotions, enticing their audience to buy.
Collaborations or co-creation. This method relies on the cooperation of a brand and an influencer to create individual products or even an entire line. This often generates a buzz and allows you to reach the influencer's audience. It works best with an influencer who aligns extremely well with your brand.
Product reviews. Brands give influencers free products in exchange for reviews they publish in their marketing channels. They ask influencers to give honest feedback about the product to their audience, emphasizing the features, usability, and value.
Product gifting. Influencers get products for free and promote them on their social media. Although brands have little control over these posts, if influencers genuinely like what you offer, it can be effective. However, product gifting doesn't come with the explicit expectation of a review. A brand sends a gift in hopes of getting visibility if an influencer posts about it.
Takeovers. Influencers publish content on your brand's social media account for a set period. They can show followers behind-the-scenes, share personal stories, or highlight your products. It can drive engagement, and you'll gain access to the influencers' followers as well.
How Björn Borg employs influencer marketing
Björn Borg is no stranger to working with influencers.
In April 2023, Björn Borg joined forces with Alice Stenlöf, influencer and designer, to launch a capsule collection "The movement capsule". The product line features sports apparel products for women and unisex, inspired by Alice’s concept of the perfect sportswear. The cooperation is rooted in a common belief in training, movement and well-being. This project follows up on a previous fruitful partnership in 2021.
Both the brand and Alice Stenlof market the fashion line on social media. The brand has included a dedicated page on their website to better highlight it so shoppers can easily find them. It includes a video with a sneak peek behind the creation of the line, a video showcasing the line itself.
Alice Stenlöf’s Instagram account advertising "The movement capsule"
How fashion brands can implement influencer marketing in their ecommerce strategy
Every brand is different, so there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Our goal here is to give you a nutshell overview of how this process should be managed.
Step one in leveraging influencer marketing for your brand strategy is to identify influencers with similar values and style. Choose people who engage authentically with their audience and whose audience matches yours. Once you've found the perfect match, create a mutually beneficial partnership. This can be done through sponsored posts, brand ambassador roles, product gifting, or even co-creating some fashion items.
The next step is to plan in detail an influencer marketing campaign, with clear goals and KPIs. Work with influencers to curate engaging content to showcase your products and style. It’s vital to track and analyze influencer marketing performance and adjust your strategy if necessary.
As you cooperate with influences, it’s good to give them enough creative freedom while maintaining brand consistency; after all, they’ve built their following thanks to unique and personalized content that resonates with their audience.
How Eton uses influencer marketing
Eton applies influencer marketing strategies with a brand ambassador program. That includes, for instance, a partnership with world record-holding pole vaulter Armand “Mondo” Duplantis, whose passion and dedication to his craft and the pursuit of excellence represent Eton's values.
The role of Duplantis as an ambassador is to promote the brand's products through his social media channels, creating a buzz around Eton’s offering. The long-term partnership started in 2022, and includes events and brand campaigns.
Armand Duplantis’s Instagram post featuring Eton’s products
Trend 8: Capitalizing on the rise of resale fashion: modern ecommerce with a vintage twist
With the evolution of fashion ecommerce comes a new trend that is catching on with modern consumers: resale fashion. It is a part of recommerce, and it’s transforming both personal wardrobes and the entire ecommerce landscape.
For fashion brands, pre-owned fashion offers significant benefits. It lets potential customers discover the brand at a more affordable price. Brands can extend the life cycle of their products and foster stronger customer relationships with circular economy practices.
Resale platforms help brands build loyalty and connect with younger generations, who represent a growing market segment that values sustainability. Additionally, reselling can give brands insight into consumer trends and sharpen their understanding of what to produce and how much.
Nearly 60% of consumers surveyed worldwide have either encountered a brand or made their initial purchase from it through secondhand sources, the Boston Consultancy Group and Vestiaire Collective report says.
And while 75–80 % of luxury consumers buy only new products, their attitudes and habits are changing as well, making pre-owned products more appealing to modern customers. McKinsey predicts that resale will account for a third of the market by 2025.
Source: McKinsey
The same research shows that nine out of ten resale customers also buy new products, and three-quarters of them sell pre-owned goods as well.
Although the majority of pre-owned sales are done offline, new applications and services are quickly filling the gap in the technology market. Brands that want to invest in pre-owned sales programs can choose from different options such as:
Resale-specific websites
Fashion ecommerce platforms
Online marketplaces
Mobile apps
The Business of Fashion and McKinsey’s State of Fashion 2023 report highlights resale, rental, and repair as important options brands should consider in times of financial distress. Brands can integrate them to make fashion affordable and responsible, as well as to reach a wider audience.
How can fashion brands incorporate resales into their ecommerce strategy?
Boosting profitability and customer engagement through resales can boost fashion brands' profitability and sustainability. There are several ways to do this:
Decide on your route to the resale world. Here are your options:
A partnership with a third party. You can join forces with a third-party resale platform and sync with their setup to suit your needs. You might integrate with ThredUp, offering coupons for customers who donate their pre-loved clothes at your physical stores. Alternatively, curate a collection of secondhand styles from ThredUp, refurbish them, and then resell them.
Direct resale: As a brand you can buy your own products back from customers and then resell them. You can encourage resale by offering your customers store credit for trade-ins and reselling the items.
Peer-to-peer (P2P) model: This is about creating a marketplace where customers can sell and buy from each other. Poshmark, Mercari, and Depop all operate under this model.
Consignment: In this model, the seller or third party buys the product back, handles all logistics, and closes the deal once the product has been resold. The brand makes money by taking a commission. This approach minimizes risk and cost until a sale is made. However, the downside is that it requires storage and logistics capacity.
Rentals: The brand owns and rents out apparel pieces to customers for a fraction of the retail price. This model can give you a continual revenue stream from a single item.
Upcycling or refurbishing: In this model, brands refurbish used products and resell them as “new” or ”like-new”. It's a great way to control quality and maintain brand image. This is common among luxury brands like Gucci and Chanel.
2. Create a dedicated resale spot on your site. Create a section on your website for pre-loved pieces. It can be a distinct category amidst your current collection or a stand-alone section. Clear product descriptions and sharp, high-quality images are crucial.
3. Set up a trade-in program. Customers will love returning used clothes to freshen up their closets. Encourage your customers to return gently used clothing with discount coupons or loyalty points.
4. Put quality checks in place. All resale items should live up to your brand’s standards. That requires stringent quality checks to ensure customer satisfaction and maintain your brand's reputation. Consider a grading system for secondhand items and ensure that descriptions are accurate.
5. Use AI and data analysis. AI can help you track product lifecycles, predict trends, and even price your resale items just right. Analyzing data about customer preferences and buying behavior will let you tweak your resale strategy.
6. Offer makeover services. Refurbish used items to give them a new life. This ensures your pre-owned products are top quality and gives them a price boost.
7. Connect with influencers. Working with influencers lets your brand promote your resale products to a wider audience. Influencers who share your brand’s values and your green fashion approach will make your re-used strategy more effective.
8. Build a story around sustainability. Today's customers pay more attention to their carbon footprint. You can appeal to these consumers by highlighting the sustainable aspect of your resale program. Share stories about how re-selling fashion items helps cut down on waste and save resources. Showcase some customers who have taken part in your resale program.
9. Deliver excellent customer service. Providing top-notch assistance to your customers when selling used items is just as important as with new item sales. Your customer service team should respond quickly to questions, solve customers’ problems, communicate with clarity, and always be warm yet professional.
Conclusion
In the ever-evolving world of fashion ecommerce, staying on top requires embracing new trends. Advancements in technology, such as AI and AR, are at the forefront of these changes. Fashion brands can’t afford to lag behind. They must keep up with the newest inventions and bring them into their operations to outgun the competition. By the same token, brands need to adapt to mobile shopping and explore the promising realm of voice commerce.
Then, by focusing on ethical and sustainable practices, wielding social commerce for an edge in the market, and getting in on influencer marketing, your brand can rise above the competition. These aren't just trends, but rather opportunities to connect, engage, and create a memorable experience for your fanbase.
