Fashion

Wearing their heart on their sleeve:

Post-pandemic, fashion brands have to live up to not just their own, but also their customer’s values, to stand out in an ever more crowded landscape.

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The pandemic changed much more about consumers’ shopping habits than simply switching from off- to online. We realised a whole new range of need states existed (Zoom-casual dress codes for instance), which look set to influence fashion consumption long into the future. Dealing with the initial challenges of providing digital storefronts and new distribution channels with barely a few days’ notice is one thing, but adapting to the raft of new trends emerging means some businesses are having to redefine their propositions altogether. At a virtual roundtable hosted by Marketing Week in partnership with eBay, held under the Chatham House rule, attendees explored what it means to serve consumers with new needs. “It’s been very difficult and very challenging,” admitted one executive whose business, pre-pandemic, focused on bespoke tailoring. Working from home essentially added another two years to his product’s lifecycle, and some customers may not be going back to being fully ‘suited and booted’ at all. Adapting has been the name of the game, creating more casual outfits or focusing solely on formal jackets rather than full suits, and exploring how to use digital tools to make alterations remotely. It is a useful extra line of business because, he admits, “many customers have either lost or gained weight over the past 13 months. I’ve never done it before but I offer a garment refurbishment service.” The pandemic also appears to have created consumers with a keen eye for a bargain, noted Harmony Murphy, general manager for UK advertising at eBay Ads: “Value and outlet shopping has come more to the forefront.” This has even stretched to luxury brands, but at the same time there’s also more demand for bespoke service, she added. “Not only is there the fashion outlet, but there’s a personalisation strategy where we could allow sellers to personalise some goods – slippers or a dressing gown – bringing experience, not just transactions.” Another attendee from the marketplace sector confirmed: “There’s been a shift in touchpoints; people going into stores, having that experience then bringing it online. We and our partners have had to work a lot harder in terms of what online experience meant. Richer content and a richer user experience is one part.”

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Conscious consumerism For all attendees at the roundtable, the understanding was acute that sustainability and conscious consumerism are rapidly gaining traction. “You’re not just buying a product, you’re buying the brand’s ethical stance and values. When it comes to fashion and you’re walking around with a logo, it’s what it stands for in society,” said one, noting that their platform has been at the forefront of the circular economy for many years. But while resale platforms may be old hands at the circular economy, this executive went on to note that mainstream retailers are also picking up on the trend: “You go into high-end fashion stores, and not only are you hit with their new goods, but you see a cabinet where they’ve got some older bags you can buy. Even if that’s only a small proportion of brands and a small collection, it’s the mindset. What are you telling that customer? You’re telling them we are thinking about the value our goods add [and] the longevity.” In the rush to innovate, brands often forget to retain the lessons of the past. It sometimes seems as if fast fashion is about to obliterate our prior experiences of clothes-buying but, in raising the issue of sustainability, there is a timely reminder of how things were previously done. “When I first went into the clothing industry, a man’s suit was the equivalent of a week’s wage. Which begs the question: are our clothes today are far too cheap?” noted the executive from the tailoring business. “Our garments stand the test of time and personalisation is very important in what we do. Everything we make is made to order so, consequently, there is no stock.” This is, admittedly, a challenge for customers who want to cleave to mass-produced product, but for those who enjoy the benefits of the circular economy – not just buying sustainable fashion, but fashion which they can sell and therefore whose cost they can recoup – well-made products that last many, many years are a bonus. Brands that make sustainability an easy choice, either through price, accessibility or values, may well take the lead, as one executive pointed out, citing research from online fashion retailer, Zalando: “60% of respondents said they really value transparency and prefer sustainable brands, but only 20% did the research and 45% preferred deals over sustainability. Consumers are struggling to translate their values into actions and this is on the shoulders of brands.” One executive admitted that it’s even a difficult internal conversation working in the industry. “The conflict for me is working for a fashion company which does need to meet its [sales] targets. We struggle with the constant need to produce collections. What makes the most sense is to produce one or two collections a year that have longevity.” “It’s an awkward discussion,” admitted another. “Brands essentially promote sustainability but they’re the same brands putting out a new collection each month. Equally, it’s tough to make fashion affordable, so does that close the average person off from [sustainability].” Heading into the future, all attendees agreed that there is more to the relationship with customers than just the product or the transaction. The customer is leading the conversation, from influencers to user-generated content, and the onus is on the brand to listen and act to the best of its ability. Yes, customers want personalisation; yes, they crave novelty and innovation; but, above all, when it comes to fashion, more often than not the customer is literally wearing that brand’s values on their sleeve. It is up to brands to make sure they are sending the right message.■

Back to basics Delivering a stand-out experience online and across platforms is more critical than ever now that virtually all brands are online, in one way or another. Shabana Chowdhury, brand partnerships manager at eBay, pointed to one seller that “used to sell out [of its stock] but now they’re struggling because there are so many more competitors”. Her advice is, essentially, back to basics: “It goes back to understanding your customer. We can help [sellers] understand what they’re searching for, what’s trending and what’s driving sales. But we also work to build their brand experience.” Naturally, Choudhury added, underpinning those basics is the ability to act on data, “understanding how behaviours change and seeing nuances of new appetites for certain products […] and then giving it back as easily and quickly as you can”. Companies that really found themselves in the thick of the pandemic action were those who launched mere days or weeks before lockdown. An executive from one such company described their challenge: “At the time, we were anticipating a soft launch. Within the first month of launching our app, we saw people had so much more time on their hands.” That excess of time meant their app got much heavier usage than expected, but also provided a large volume of insight that could help build their proposition. Given the business is based on a ‘repair and renew’ approach to fashion, the lockdown pause gave many potential customers time to reassess their wardrobes and more deeply buy into the company’s philosophy. “For us, the messaging is all about how you can buy less, buy better and take care of what you have. A lot of our users are gen Z and millennials who are trying to understand how to reduce their impact,” the attendee added.

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Added value for the customer Bish said the financial services brands doing a good job are those that unearth the customer insight and then work hard to deliver a consistent and improving service based on that information. “They remain focused on what they do well every single day, and they keep nudging the customer, who is getting added value,” he said. “It’s also about relevant upselling. In retail banking it could be helping people with a current account and then a mortgage. It is about exceeding someone’s expectations in everything a bank delivers to them.” With the huge amount of customer data that does exist, the panel discussed why so much online advertising appears to be so poorly targeted. A brand’s customers can feel they are being chased around the internet by ads that are no longer relevant. Harrison commented that when it comes to personalisation and advertising strategies based on data, there has been a resurgence of context. Brands now want to advertise to people when they are in the market for different products and services; this could be fashion or items for the garden. “We have seen an increase from advertisers who know eBay has first-party data, and that we know who our users are and what they are doing – which is usually making a transaction,” he said. “It’s useful for financial services brands to see what their clients are doing in different environments. Context has made a resurgence.” The roundtable also discussed the positives and negatives of the demise of the cookie and how the financial services industry might benefit from an increased focus on first-party data. One participant said it could mean a return to old-school brand advertising to generate awareness, and less of an obsession with ROI and tracking. The head of marketing for the large insurance group was adamant that the changes do provide an opportunity for marketers. “It will be better for marketing’s reputation. It goes back to building the brand, and the brand meaning something again, rather than taking a price-driven, cookie-led and spam-led approach.” When it comes to customer experience, the question was also asked whether too many advertisers are using technology for the sake of it and not being innovative enough with the data insights being generated. The skill is combining data with the human element and a personal touch which resonates with customers. Ultimately, this will help financial services brands form longer, more mutually rewarding relationships with them.■

“You’re not just buying a product, you’re buying the brand’s ethical stance and values. When it comes to fashion and you’re walking around with a logo, it’s what it stands for in society.”

“There’s been a shift in touchpoints; people going into stores, having that experience then bringing it online. We and our partners have had to work a lot harder.”

The crucial role of brand values in the fashion industry