The fashion industry is leading the eCommerce sector, with a global market value of $759.5 billion in 2021. This means good digital marketing is more crucial than ever to brands looking to survive the post-COVID online retail drop off.
The fashion industry has long relied on editorial campaigns, catwalks, window displays and glossy billboards to capture the attention of consumers. As other industries took their marketing strategies online, the fashion industry would have fallen dangerously behind if they continued to focus on in-person customer interactions. Now, retailers are fighting for the digital prime real estate sitting inside their customers’ phones and laptops. Of course, all this healthy competition means trends are one of the key ways for brands to compete with one another.
The Covid-eCommerce boom and subsequent 2021-22 drop off have stirred much debate amongst digital marketers. However, one thing is for certain. Brands need to focus on strongly positioning themselves online if they plan to grow.
In this shifting digital marketing landscape, we’re here to break down some of the biggest trends we’re anticipating will take over the space in 2022.
1. Demanding Inclusivity and Authenticity
Today’s customers expect more from the companies they buy from. If a fashion brand isn’t taking steps to align itself with the right movements on social media, they’re failing to enter spaces where customers want to see them. While it’s a risk to take a stand on highly divisive issues, customer loyalty goes to the brands that make a statement.
When building marketing strategies, fashion brands should consider how they can truly connect with their audience. During the BLM movement of 2020, we saw countless fashion brands standing up to fight for equality, including big names like Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty, Warby Parker and ASOS.
Companies who show their activism will get more attention from the fashion audience going forward. If possible, showcase your commitment to your cause by working with other brands in your industry on a meaningful campaign that speaks to your target audience. Whatever the cause, we’ve seen this tactic pop up more frequently in the past year. Many brands are aligning themselves environmentally and pledging to donate a portion of every sale to an eco-friendly cause.
2. Adopting New Technology is Key
With the impending Metaverse, digital marketing in the fashion industry is rapidly changing and under continuous pressure to keep up-to-date with the latest tech developments. Augmented reality, NFTs and 3D ads are just the beginning.
As consumers continue to move online to browse and shop, brands need to target customers with creative experiences in order to stay relevant. Live videos on platforms like Instagram and Facebook are capturing attention as customers look for more transparency from brands. 360-degree videos are ideal for fashion brands to connect with customers and offer value in their advertising.
Think about how you can make your luxury fashion brand stand out with the development of new tech-ready experiences. To get started, brands should look into creating their own fashion company app with the help of a design agency. This way, people will be able to access the store online, without searching for your website.
Even better, a free app that your customers use to make purchases can also push notifications to their phones about your latest sales, making your advertising strategies more effective.
3. Personalisation Drives Revenue
Mass digital marketing strategies just aren’t as effective as they appear. Today’s customers expect adverts to be tailored to their interests. It’s easier than ever before to collect information about your audience for your marketing campaigns. Following the infamous iOS updates, first-party data still gives us key customer insights.
Access to analytics on social media channels can tell you everything you need to know about where your traffic comes from, what kind of customers buy your products, and who your efforts appeal to most. There are even third-party tools available to help you hyper-personalise your campaigns, giving you insights into the trends you need to focus on.
The more information you can collect about the people engaging with your brand, the more you can create an immersive shopping experience for your clients, both online and offline. You can even use your data to send the right emails for lead nurturing. McKinsey notes that hyper-personalising your emails and social media interactions increases revenue by up to 15%.
4. Multi-Channel Marketing
To survive in today’s changing world, fashion companies and apparel brands need to be able to connect with their customers on all the right channels, from Facebook and Instagram to online blogs. Think about the strategy you’re currently using to reach your target audience. What other creative strategies are you missing out on that your competitors have already leveraged?
Learning to promote your clothing brand on multiple channels at once will improve your traffic and increase your chances of connecting with your customers on a deeper level. Remember, today’s customers need to interact with a brand several times before they’re ready to make a purchase.
Make sure you have the resources in place to use any channel you’re going to be advertising on correctly. For instance, there’s no point trying to increase your selling strategy with blog posts if you’re not also going to work on your SEO strategy too.
Take Advantage of the Latest Trends
For the eCommerce industry as a whole, it’s an important time to be refining your digital marketing strategies. As customers get used to a new way of buying online, you’ll need to make sure you still have a reliable way to make your fashion brand stand out. Reach out to The Graygency for more on how to effectively market your fashion brand in the digital space.
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