Fashion is an industry that has relied on the creativity and artistic expression of designers worldwide to produce clothing lines that enter the mass-market once they have been worn by models at various fashion weeks across the globe.

However, fashion for mass-market consumers has been more about affordability and the ability for them to look chic and trendy without exorbitant spending. In this area, recently, the fashion industry has started to rely on technology to deliver people what they desire while also keeping a check on their inventory and pushing innovation to cater to their consumers even better.

Here, we’ll explain where IT is being used across the fashion industry:

Fashion brands across the globe were challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic. They were forced to innovate in more ways than one. As the pandemic was ravaging the planet, a lot of brands also saw this as an opportunity to sell custom masks online. A new category of clothing accessories was created all of a sudden, and brands were able to capitalize upon this just because they had data regarding what people were buying online. Brick-and-mortar fashion store brands realized the importance of having an on line presence, something that they weren’t doing before the pandemic. Bigger brands, which were independent or part of a large umbrella group company, resorted to direct-to-customer (D2C) selling through e-commerce websites. By doing so, they were able to tap into new customers, which in turn led to the efficient use of inventory and healthier margins for brands. Everyone, whether they own a nail art store, someone who offers a one-stop solution for men’s or women’s clothing, or a big brand offering all kinds of beauty products, is relying on e-commerce websites for new customer acquisition as well as retention of old customers.

Brands rely heavily on market trends and the word-of-mouth that surrounds them. This is especially true for fashion brands. Thus, brands often have an in-house marketing team who observes their brand's perception online, helping avoid situations of bad PR for the brand. However, it is much more difficult for a new brand to hire someone solely for this purpose, so they frequently hire a digital marketing agency to do it for them. They help maintain a positive perception of the brand. They also create engaging posts for their followers as well as help create social media campaigns that lead to better lead generation and conversion. A digital marketing agency also helps brands craft and coordinate messages they want social media influencers to deliver to the brand’s audience, thus leading to even better social value for the brand.

E-commerce websites are just one of the ways by which brands are targeting sales; the other being mobile apps. According to the Statista study, nearly half (49.2 percent) of e-commerce sales will be made via mobile devices in 2020. This clearly shows the power of handheld devices, and hence, more and more brands are embracing the idea of having a mobile application for their brand. Mobile apps provide a convenient way for people to buy online from the palm of their hand. They provide a sense of ease which even logging on to the website doesn’t. As a plus point, it is much easier to leverage technologies like AR and VR to overhaul the consumer experience.

To increase sales and better customer engagement, brands are embracing technologies like augmented reality and virtual reality. AR (Augmented Reality) integrates digital information with a user’s environment in real-time; whereas VR (Virtual Reality) is a simulation in which a person can interact with a 3-d visual or sensory environment. Recently, some brands have begun to roll out filters across social media platforms on their ads, allowing a person to see in AR how that dress would feel on them after clicking the ad, and some eyewear brands use AR to allow you to see how certain eyeglasses will feel on your face. All this leads to a better customer experience and also leads to better social advocacy by people who find this feature worthwhile.

With the rise of modern fashion brands, the use of AI in the fashion industry has increased a lot. AI has been helping brands by churning out new designs in no time; personalized shoes, dresses, and accessories; detecting fake merchandise which circulates in the market; and lastly, one of the most important uses of AI has been in forecasting designs, trends, and color patterns which are expected to be in fashion for the season; thus allowing brands to invest in them primarily.

As brands streamline their processes to increase efficiency and productivity, something that can’t be overlooked is how they manage their inventory. These brands rely on RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) smart stickers or tags, which are used in digital cataloging. Furthermore, these tags are used for highly targeted sales, stocking, and availability. Some brands are even using RFID tags to suggest what other garments can go with them, thus providing you with a complete look. To counter their supply chain woes, brands are also using web apps that are integrated with their inventory and their factories, which allow for better tracking at each step of the way.

Fashion brands had realized before the pandemic that they needed to overhaul their processes and embrace technology if they wanted to stay relevant and fresh in the eyes of their consumers. The pandemic just brought the required change a lot faster than they expected, and as brands move to embrace technology as a part of their culture, and we are helping them realize their potential.

• E-commerce website design and development.
• Mobile App design and development.
• Digital marketing services.
• AR, VR apps creation and integration.
• Web apps creation.
• AI models and algorithms
• RFID tags integration