A few years ago, fashion brands considered their websites a replica of what was on display in a physical shop. So that’s no longer working. Brands have been forced to rethink their product design, pricing, and marketing from scratch as more and more consumers are making purchase decisions based on catalogs and promotions throughout Mexico and on other similar platforms around the world.
This transition is more than just having a usable website. It involves production schedules, customer support, loyalty initiatives, and what to produce in the first place. There are some habits that the brands adapting well have that we need to dissect.
The marketing strategy is to meet the shoppers where they are
The time when a customer had to walk through a brand’s door is over. They have to be where their customers already spend time: on a phone, in a social feed, in a search bar.
This involves re-imagining the entire customer journey, from the initial look at a product to long after the sale.
Designed for Mobile First
Fashion consumers are increasingly shopping through their phone these days, and brands that continue to design their clothes for a desktop screen first are missing the mark. If it takes too long to load your page or your checkout process is cumbersome, a customer will go to a competitor.
Brands that “do it right” with mobile, not “do it differently,” find that the difference is in their conversions. The more steps a customer takes from browsing to purchasing, the more he is losing sales.
To treat Social Media as a sales channel
Once social sites were just for brand awareness. These places are now often where the consumer is first introduced to a product before reading reviews in the comments and making a purchase without leaving the app.
Brands are seeing the power of shoppable posts, short video content, and creator partnerships that are real; it’s not just because they’re pretty in their marketing report.
How Catalogs and Promotions are Changing the Way Brands are Done.
The new faces of Catalogs and Promotions in Mexico and how they are redefining brand strategy. Even before the days of online shopping, printed catalogs and weekly flyers were the primary tools used to advertise a sale to consumers. That model has determined consumer habits for decades and even influences the way promotions work these days, but now via screen, not paper.
In Mexico, digital catalogs and promotions provide brands with a direct line to a price-conscious audience that compares prices between various brands before making a purchase. Retailers that used to count on shoppers walking down the street and looking at their windows now have to find a way to do it in the digital arena where these comparison engines connect them with their customers.
Beyond One Size Fits All Discounts
The old standard promotional method was generic, storewide discounts. Instead, brands are moving towards more specific offers, based on a product, a loyalty level, or a shopper’s previous actions.
This saves on loss of margin and is likely to be converted more because the shopper feels it’s custom-made for them as opposed to being sent to everyone.
Marketing time promotions around the actual shopping moments
Brands used to be planning their sales around their sales cycles: end of season, beginning of a new collection, and so on. They now consider the time when shoppers are searching and browsing and when to launch a promotion.
With the change, promotions are now more visible when a shopper needs them, not weeks ahead of or following them.
Personalizing the experience using Data and Technology
Brands used to create one experience and display it to all. All of that is changing quickly, however, as customization options for the shopping experience grow simpler and less expensive.
Recommendation Engines Replace Guesswork
Brands would base their guess on general demographics. Today, however, recommendation systems rely on real browsing and purchase data, and that one is much more likely to be correct.
This outcome is an experience that is customized and not mass-produced, and as a result, it cultivates brand loyalty over time, even if customers don’t interact with the brand directly.
Returns are reduced thanks to Virtual Fitting Tools
The top problem customers are facing is not being able to try on clothes before making your purchase. To fill that gap, brands are investing in augmented reality tools and more precise sizing guides.
Fitting the first time is important to the business of the brand as well because returns are costly, and not only are they not resold, but they are also waste.
Shortening the Distance Between Design and Delivery
The days of slow product development to market to a shopper have been put to the test by online shopping. After a full season, a new style will be released that will be competitive.
Rapid manufacturing of smaller quantities.
Brands are turning to smaller runs and faster production schedules, testing a design with a small production sample first before going into full scale. This helps to minimize the chances of creating products that do not sell.
Smaller runs also allow brands to adjust their offerings based upon what they actually have to sell, rather than making a guess at a full season’s worth of stock months ago.
Retailing direct to customers
Several brands are now selling directly from their website and app, bypassing the middle man of retail partners and bypassing a layer of markup and having access to the customer data. The direct relationship makes it easier to run tighter, better targeted promotions going forward.
Addressing Desire for Transparency and Sustainability
Consumers are more than ever now asking about the origin of a garment, as well as what it is made from before purchasing. Brands that can respond with clear, specific information rather than marketing mumbo jumbo will garner higher trust.
Some brands have been forced to reduce their production speed, switch to recycled materials, or create reuse and repair initiatives. The actions are not just cosmetic—they reflect a true change in customer expectations before he or she partakes in handing over cash.
Those brands that don’t get the message don’t necessarily lose customers overnight, but they do lose the customers that buy the most and talk about it the most on the internet.
Prominent steps that brands are taking currently
- Before thinking about redesigning checkout flows for the desktop, think about how it works on a phone.
- Creating loyalty schemes that offer loyalty rewards rather than one-off discounts.
- Testing of smaller production runs before going into full production.
- Sizing information that is clear and specific to reduce returns.
- Writing clear information on materials and sources rather than general statements.
- Monitoring the effectiveness of a promotion in real time, and tweaking the promotion as appropriate rather than at the end of the promotion.
Conclusion
Not all of the brands that are doing well in this place are the largest brands. They’re the ones who are willing to redesign their products around actual shopping habits, are going to charge for them at the right price, and are going to market them in the right way.
In Mexico, catalogs and promotions demonstrate the power that has been transferred to the shopper, one who once had to go from store to store to find the best price and offer can now make comparisons in seconds. Brands that view this change as a chance to manage, not a threat, are the ones that are creating meaningful customer relationships.
Fitting online shopping into everyday life is not a project that has a conclusion! It’s a continuous process of paying more attention to customer needs and eliminating hassle throughout the process.
