In this article, we are looking at 3 key actions that fashion brands should embrace to solidify their place right now and even after the smoke clears.
From fast fashion to luxury, it's no secret that the current covid-19 climate has pushed many anticipated spring and summer campaigns on the backburner. On the other hand, it has also carved the way for a "new reality" driven purely by customer motivations where brands that move radically fast and adopt creative and digital-first strategies will see victory at the end of the tunnel.
It’s fair to say that Covid-19 has become the #1 defining moment in 2020 and will continue to have implications on the next 2-3 years. Especially for the fashion industry which relies on superfluous spending.
1. Leverage creative ways to communicate and connect with audiences
If there’s one positive trend that has emerged from coronavirus induced lockdowns it’s the rise of digital consumption. Literally everyone’s screen time is at an all-time high, and for most us social media dominates that screen time.
For fashion brands, this presents an already activated medium to get creative and connect with shoppers. And, when we say connect we don’t mean the “we’re here for you” messaging. It goes way beyond that.
Now is the time for fashion brands to involve audiences as much as possible and create a community that is truly engaged.
What has worked so far?
So far, creative campaigns deep-rooted in empathy and/or entertainment have been very well received. From virtual live gatherings and stay-at-home challenges to sharing cooking recipes and fitness tips, fashion brands and their followers are embracing it all.
Luxury brand Bottega Veneta for instance launched a “virtual residency” across Instagram, YouTube, Weibo, WeChat, Line, Kakao, Spotify, Apple Music and SoundCloud where audiences can watch live performances, cooking and recipes, as well as get sunday movie night suggestions.
Nike on the other hand has made their premium workouts, training programs and expert tips, completely free. Wildly popular on Instagram are Nike’s viral challenges given by brand athletes like Christiano Ronaldo, encouraging audiences to upload their own videos with the #playinside and #livingroomcup.
Then there’s Alexander McQUEEN who started the series #McQueenCreators where they challenge followers based on a different theme every week. The hashtag has already been used more than 13,600 times in the last 4 weeks! They even created a Spotify playlist for audiences bored at home.
As these brands prove, there’s no better time to get creative and experiment than now, especially with marketing campaigns that directly influence sales out of the picture.
2. Deliver a digital storefront that is as good (or even better than) your physical store
With physical stores out of the equation and social distancing rules in place, ecommerce as expected has picked up more steam than it already was before the pandemic. According to KPMG consumer and market analysts, this behaviour is likely to stick around even after the crisis ends.
Now if shoppers can’t see your products up close, your brand website needs to show and tell as much as possible. Yes, we’re talking about immersive try-before-you-buy shopping experiences.
With 3D & augmented reality now it’s possible for brands to let online shoppers visualize and try-on products from the comfort and safety of their home. Both these technologies build buying confidence, influence purchase decisions and in turn increase conversions by an average of 58%.
Now is the best time for fashion brands to ride the wave and:
Offer 3D enabled views
that let shoppers interact with products and zoom or rotate or view from every angle.
Let online shoppers virtually try on
apparel, footwear, bags and more directly on themselves like they would at a physical store and judge whether they fit and match their style.
Leverage Facial Try-On AR
for categories like eyewear, makeup, hats and accessories where shoppers can check how an item will look on their own face.
Try-Ons for fashion, created on Designhubz XR
Facial Try-On AR for eyewear, makeup and more
The best part? 3D & AR solution like the Designhubz XR platform is remote friendly and can help you roll out immersive views in a matter of minutes. Schedule a demo here or see Designhubz in action.
Don’t leave it up to shoppers to imagine how something might look on them- there’s tech that pushes those hesitant visitors into confident buyers, so why not use them?
3. Re-assess the safety and hygiene of your employees and supply chain
With consumers growing more skeptical by the day, the current scenario shows that they will order from brands that they trust- brands that are going above and beyond to ensure safety and hygiene practices are maintained.
To sell better, as a fashion brands you need to implement significant measures in addition to WHO guidelines across the supply chain. To protect your associates and provide safe delivery to customers, brands need to take care of a couple of moving parts:
- Contactless, cashless delivery
- Practice hygiene by putting hand washing and sanitization routines in place
- Increase frequency and intensity of sanitizing your facilities making sure frequently touched surfaces like door handles, lift buttons etc are regularly cleaned.
- Monitor health starting with frequent temperature checks
- Social distancing is mandatory, spread out workstations and draw visible markings on the floor to maintain 2 meters distance between every associate.
Last but not the least, make sure as a brand you share what you are practicing. Transparency is key in building trust in such a delicate time.
We'll ride the pandemic out, together!
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