Fashion Marketing In 2022: How The Rules Of Customer Engagement Have Changed

Deepti Karthik Jun 13, 2022

Planning a holiday? Cue into the latest trends on Metaverse …Fashion entered tech in 2021 with a bang and ever since it’s been leading from the front on redefining the rules of customer engagement. The fashion industry has a lot of ground to regain post-pandemic, with “Clutter core Gen Z”, “Revenge shopping” and such other consumer behaviour trends it would seem the industry is back on its feet. However, the price surge in cotton and other macroeconomic factors have resulted in supply chain inefficiencies threatening to impact price -demand curve even before full recovery has been made.

No Safety Net

· Fashion brands rely heavily on wardrobe reboot and travel shopping- both of which took a huge hit. Even the occasion shopping is erratic; if the consumer doesn’t shop on an anniversary that is lost sales that won’t be recovered anytime soon, all the CRM data and loyalty rules will have to be rewritten for the new mindset.

· With the ongoing heat wave in northern parts of the country and potential rain red alerts in south the imbalance of the geographic landscape makes India a tough market to supply for fashion which relies heavily on cycles of seasonality. But for the mercy of E-commerce which provides most signals on planning today; Brands have become agile and geared to work with nuances of the evolving consumer psyche because the old and tested cycles have all gone for a toss.

· Live /Social Commerce is now part of the GTM plan of every fashion brand and there is a provision that must be made to ensure this channel is well -fed to not lose competitive edge. But with all the digitisation, fashion brands are also witnessing the cons of cyber attacks which have plagued the industry recently.

The Pheonix

Fashion had no choice but to rise from its ashes, the ramblings of omni channel today are dominating boardroom conversations. The Y2K nostalgia trip and Sweatpant 2.0 should be enough to see that the consumer is throwing a curveball and the industry responded by embracing digital – from fashion shows gone digital to stores that are now replicated using 3D software and game engines. The fashion industry is taking consumer experience to the next level through Personalisation, Collaboration and Phygital experiences.

· Product customisation is a huge lever that brands are hoping will engage the audience. AI-powered stylists, recommendation tools, virtual fitting rooms, and personalised chatbots have been deployed by major brands today to ensure higher consumer engagement by offering gamification as a stimulus to trigger familiarity and enjoyment. To improve the overall consumer experience of shopping online phone apps like Mtailor can help one take all their measurements that can be given to brands that offer custom tailoring solutions. Given the massive impact of weather on fashion purchases, fashion brands now personalise their websites based on local weather offering styling tips most suited for the day as it progresses.

· Making headlines and creating a buzz has been the mantra for brands as they collaborated with gaming companies, e-sports, avatars like never before, the use of PFPs or profile pictures serving as badges for core fans, the loyalty channel has had a major facelift. Luxury is deep-rooted in exclusivity and the metaverse offers an unchartered exclusive paradigm, fashion brands must collaborate with the new age platforms to ensure their IPs don’t get infringed but more importantly to find the right resonance with the GEN A who might know fashion very differently.

· With live reviews, AR try on, the fashion stores are soon going to be destinations to hang out at. A cashier-less checkout, voice assistant instead of retail escort the future of retail is bold however a huge trend will also be of representation of inclusivity at the point of purchase. Consumers are likely to turn their backs on mass-produced “fits” and are looking to be acknowledged, heard and seen as unique individuals who must be served nay... delighted.

Fashion has well and truly taken strides to bring the future of retail to its customers in 2022 and payoffs seem imminent. There will be a new world order in fashion with brands who move to the other side as winners being the ones who have adapted to the new consumer wants and needs which are distinct while throwing those who are obstinate into an existential crisis. Most fashion brands are also likely to consider a foray into wearables for beauty if it must lie in the eye of the beholder, the beholder must WEAR the right brand.