(Technology in the Fashion industry)
Introduction
The fashion industry has been subject to change over time. Companies in the industry have continually advanced in the development of quality and highly attractive fashions. Information and practicality of their ideas have seen the companies advance to extensive heights and embrace the average growth of the fashion industry. It has become highly competitive to engage in the fashion business as new ideas are being developed every day. The changes would mean advancement in business and enhancement of the quality that the companies manufacture. The fashion industry has been a major beneficiary of the technology through excellent designing of the clothes, use of social media for marketing and application of online retailing methods, which were extensively influential to sales.
The new technology is being reflected in the designs and manufacturing process of clothes. In particular, 3D technology has been extremely attractive or interesting in the development of cutting-edge designs. 3D designs in clothing have been in the limelight for the exclusive designs that have been seen in the major clothing companies (Sheets).
The 3D technology has been highly significant following the application of software to help in the designing process. The most common software that the designers have been using is the CAD software, which makes designing and prototyping easier (Sheets). The software is accurate to ensure minimal wastage of raw materials and gives the smaller designers an opportunity to produce items without the need of investing in the layout. Such companies have increased their production through the ability to produce a wide range of products in a low cost (Marriott).
However, the 3D technology gives an opportunity for the production of counterfeit products. The technology allows the items such as jewellery, and belt buckles among other items with distinctive designs and trade marks to be copied quickly and in a cheap way. It becomes extremely hard to tell the difference between the original product and the counterfeit. The counterfeiters use the 3D scanner to bring out identical items. There is no proper control of who uses the 3D CAD software (Marriott). Therefore, it becomes hard to control the users of the 3D designs in a way to protect the counterfeits.
The technology does not assure people of the security of their products. The 3D technology has to offer a way of protecting the design rights. If there are rights for the products, the rights will have been infringed. Design rights will be the most useful form of intellectual property right to deal with the unfortunates that come with the 3D printing. Also, the technology should offer a platform for the protection of the infringements through the development of trade marks to protect copying for the products. The protection of the products through copyrights must also be embraced to ensure the reliability of the 3D technology (Sheets).
The 3D technology is highly useful in reducing the instances of sales returns for fashion companies. As the customers make orders for their clothes, they my do it without fitting, which may make them return the clothes later. The problem has affected the fashion industry for a long time as the returns delay sales and reduce the productivity of the fashion company. The 3D designing technology has been extensively useful in reducing the problem. The technology has introduced screening for the body size of the customer so as to have products designed uniquely for certain customers (Sheets). As a result, the cases of returns for the clothes have reduced.
Social media in the fashion industry
Social media has influenced almost every facet of modern life with the fashion industry not being an exception. The social media; Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have taken the fashion industry by storm with exclusive updates being carried out in the social sites. They have made it easy for the consumers to understand what is happening in the fashion industry. The social media have exclusively influential numbers with high influence in the number of subscribers.
Facebook has approximately 1.59 billion monthly subscribers, which means an advert for a fashion company can reach the Facebook subscribers in a month (Leading Global Social Networks 2016 | Statistic). Facebook supports advertisements for companies through creation of pages that support marketing for the products. As such, Facebook has been a major platform of reaching the public.
On the other hand, Instagram has approximately 400 million subscribers (Leading Global Social Networks 2016 | Statistic). The social site looks ready to replace the catwalk as the main place to look for new fashion, as well as brand marketers. The site allows individuals to post photos, which may become trending causing interest among the users. The social site has added “reach” and “viral” to their catchphrase vocabulary. It shows the site is ready to ensure any information goes viral and reaches a lot of people around the world. Therefore, it is such a significant tool for the fashion companies to reach a wide range of consumers.
Twitter with approximately 320 million subscribers has equally been significant in the definition of trend of the fashion industry (Leading Global Social Networks 2016 | Statistic). The subscribers are well connected in a professional way that runs the social site. People are allowed to interact through the media as they share ideas and opinions on various issues. Representatives of fashion companies engage with the social platform as they try to reach more people and attract them to the interest of their clothes (Hope).
However, the social media have not been wholly interesting to the fashion industry. There have been a number of cases where certain brand ambassadors have been harassed defaming certain brands. At some point, the social media may be a war field where the fashion brands may see to defame each other as they seek a strategic way of achieving sole excellence. The competition in the social media is a major threat to the advancement of the fashion industry. Therefore, there is need to focus on the most lucrative social sites that would ensure the brands are well protected and the brand ambassadors do not become the victims of the wrong social media ("Has Social Media Had a Positive Impact on the Fashion Industry?).
Online Retailing
Traditionally, online retailing was lesser famous than the physical locations of the fashion shops. Companies were only known to sell at their physical premises. As such, companies were mainly competing on the number of branches that they can open at a particular time. The main attraction for the companies was based on the number of physical premises they owned and they sought to expand on their premises form time to time. It is evident that the strategy was highly expensive for most of the companies since purchasing the physical location was an exceedingly challenging and highly expensive process. However, as time advanced changes were acknowledged and employed to ensure companies in the fashion industry advance and make their brands well recognized around the globe (Cecilio).
The invention of the mobile and e-commerce is highly significant for the fashion industry. The fashion industry is highly influenced by the e-commerce with new advancements in the fashion industry being employed. Companies are bringing up e-commerce sites to help in the marketing and sale of their products. The focus is to drive the fashion industry to excellence and achievement of business success for individual companies (Hope).
Social networks and apps have been highly relevant in the rise of retailing businesses. Shoppers are seeking user-generated online content before deciding on sales. There is a lot of information regarding fashion that people are trying to get into contact with so as to have properly analyzed decisions to make sales (Cecilio).
Online retailing supports reviewing processes for their products. The companies pay people to analyze the products and create online reviews that would be helpful in the attraction of the customers. People depend on the reviews regarding certain products or companies so as to make decisions on whether to purchase the particular products or not.
Fashion companies have become knowledgeable that the consumers are spending a lot of online and they are yearning to know or understand more regarding products. As such, companies have invested heavily on online platforms so as to interest most of the people who seek assistance through the internet. Such companies have developed online links for chats with their customers. They are willing to assist their customers regardless of the length that they would be required to at any time. The value for conversations with the customers is helpful in maintaining proper knowledge of the expectations of the customers.
Online retailing is a unique way of increasing the sales of the products. The companies have developed websites that support the viewing and selection of the desired products. The customers have an opportunity to interact with the company through enquiry on various products they have the chance to purchase the products online.
The websites are usually known as e-stores. They support the sales and feedback of the customers. The e-store operates like a physical shop, since it has all the activities or processes from attendance to customers and the provision of a range of products to choose. The stores have become common amongst people as they are easily compatible with the mobile technology. The technology supports the use of mobile phones to subscribe into the sites and make purchases (Cecilio). They also support online payment methods with link to a number of online payment methods, which help in the assurance of proper payment methods.
Mobile phones are major shopping tools useful in the expansion of the online retailing business. The fashion industry has not been left out in recognizing the power of the mobile phones. It becomes easy to access certain e-stores so as to make purchases or enquire on certain elements. The consumer has a chance to access the e-stores anywhere since the mobile phones have fast access to the internet. Therefore, trade becomes easy for the fashion companies.
Availability of data for the fashion industry
Data is a major requirement for any company that seeks to thrive in a certain market. The technology has been highly useful in gathering the relevant data to help the fashion industry in developing reliable marketing strategies. The analytics give real-time data that is highly useful in making purchases and merchandize decisions.
Information regarding a market may be gathered through focus on the activities in various fashion sites. Sites with huge following and flow of a number of activities would be highly instrumental in the definition of the success that is likely to be defined in the given platform. Therefore, the data would be highly instrumental in assuring fashion companies success as they can weigh the markets and project of what is expected in the future ("Has Social Media Had a Positive Impact on the Fashion Industry?). There is an assurance for business to thrive if the market research and the information gathered online is satisfactory.
Information on the reaction and behavior of celebrities to certain brands would be highly critical or useful in the definition of the success of the company in the given sector. There will be comments and reactions from the people, which may be required to impact the company by analyzing the significance of the specific brand. As such, likes, views, and comments on a certain link to a fashion company would be a major source of information regarding the take of the people in line with the specific brand.
Therefore, the technology has been highly useful in giving relevant and reliable data regarding the fashion industry. The companies in the industry may benefit from the data if they carry out the relevant research and analysis for the given data. It would be helpful for them to deal with the information in a way that they would attract business benefits. It would be a learning platform on what they need to do to enhance improvement in the manner by which they handle the customers and hope to resolve the problems that surround the customers. The data is useful in assurance for quality products and service of the customers.
Conclusion
The fashion industry has been surrounded by extensive innovations and improvements, which are mainly attributed to modern technology. The technology supports new designing techniques, which involve the use of the 3D printers, which give high-edge creativity in the fashion industry. The fashion industry has also embraced the use of social media as a tool for marketing and relationship with the customers. Also, the online retail has been embraced as it is the new way of selling or trading in thriving businesses. Through exposure to a lot of data companies can make better decisions for their productivity and satisfaction of the customers thus, creating competiveness in the fashion industry.
Works Cited
Cecilio, Daniela. "E-Commerce Is Changing The Fashion Industry – It's Time To Catch Up". the Guardian. N.p., 2015. Web. 1 June 2016. <http://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2015/feb/06/how-mobile-ecommerce-changing-fashion-industry>
"Has Social Media Had A Positive Impact On The Fashion Industry? | Highsnobiety". Highsnobiety. N.p., 2015. Web. 1 June 2016. <http://www.highsnobiety.com/2015/04/08/has-social-media-had-a-positive-impact-on-the-fashion-industry/>
Hope, Katie. "How Social Media Is Transforming The Fashion Industry - BBC News". BBC News. N.p., 2016. Web. 1 June 2016. <http://www.bbc.com/news/business-35483480>
"Leading Global Social Networks 2016 | Statistic". Statista. N.p., 2016. Web. 1 June 2016. <http://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/>
Marriott, Hannah. "Are We Ready To 3D Print Our Own Clothes?". the Guardian. N.p., 2015. Web. 1 June 2016. <http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2015/jul/28/are-we-ready-to-print-our-own-3d-clothes>
Sheets, Hilarie. "When Fashion Meets Technology, You Can Wear Your Tweets". Nytimes.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 1 June 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/17/arts/design/when-fashion-meets-technology-you-can-wear-your-tweets.html?_r=0>
