Our director Kate Vandermeer was asked to speak at "Fashion Palette" in April 2009 about her experiences in the Online Fashion Industry. She gave out her Top 10 Online Tips for the Fashion Industry. Please see them below.
1. Where do your customers hang out online? Study their behaviour because that’s where you need to be.
2. What kind of digital strategy does your brand have? Make sure its not just having a website. What does the website do, how does it communicate with your customer, with industry and does it solve your customers problems? Do you ensure you are just a click away from communicating with your customer in the relevant mediums?
3. Integrate, Involve and Allow your customer to give you vital feedback. It’s never been easier to hear their criticisms and compliments. With blogs and forums you can learn this faster, easier and better.
4. If you aren’t across all the mediums available online then dabble yourself from a personal point of view so you can learn what kinds of behavioural patterns customers use so you know how it could better serve your business. Most of you “do retail” where you study what trends are being picked up in what store and who’s gone with which retail campaign etc… but do you do “virtual retail” as much as you do physical? How many of you belong to other e-newsletters from other fashion brands, visit fashion websites, follow leaders in the industry on twitter etc?
5. Learn about and develop ways to do “virtual visual merchandising” and selling or communicating online. Just like clever displays and point of sale, online requires tech savvy tricks to hold the customers interest. It’s just inconvenient to the consumer not to offer online shopping and personalized service in today’s climate.
6. Just like building up key fashion PR and media contacts, its crucial to build up your online contacts as well. Get to know the key bloggers, online editors and influencers in the digital world and keep them in the loop as well.
7. The digital canvas is similar to retail and the physical world in the sense that a lot of clever entrepreneurs are thinking “How can I mimic the same offline experiences/women’s hobbies online that would be more efficient and just as desirable?
8. Make it fun. Make it irreverent. Add personality. Don’t be another bland website that has the standard about us, catalogue showcase and press updates… have a unique point of difference that would make your site stand out. Offer brand personality. For example… I love that with Aesop’s site I get to know the brand more with their latest possibilities page suggesting what they recommend for food, music, reading, galleries etc…
9. Have brand soul. Be honest, find something you believe in as a brand that’s authentic and follow it through, make it part of your DNA. Find the “soul” in your brand.
10. Remember the Digital Revolution is evolving and as I speak, new developments and new points of view are being shared and various brands and individuals are working on new concepts that will live and breathe in the online world in the not too distant future. Ride the wave and remember that like anything in business and particularly in fashion, new trends will appear but it’s more important you participate than ignore it altogether! Keep your digital strategy evolving.
Thanks to Love Jungle for the photo of me speaking at Fashion Palette. Check them out.
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