As technological disruptions transform the fashion industry in recent years, the focus still remains on how companies can better engage with their consumers. As customers prefer safe, secure, easy and convenient online solutions for their fashion purchases, brands are embracing e-commerce and mobile commerce to meet these aspirations. Also, fast deliveries and return policies are just as effective at attracting and retaining customers.
Aside from metropolitan cities, these trends are noticeable even among customers in Tier 2 cities and other inland regions. Considering the evolution of consumer behavior, fashion brands keep innovating and introducing new designs at regular intervals.
Immersive Experiences and Slow Fashion
But simply being online won’t do the trick for gaining customers. To do this, brands must provide an immersive digital shopping experience through technologies such as virtual showrooms that allow potential buyers to “try on” garments virtually through AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality) tools. While consumers do all of this from the safety of their homes, it also helps them purchase the right product, reducing return rates. Paying attention to these consumer trends, major retailers are creating virtual dressing rooms to increase sales.
However, this not all. In some cases, consumers are also choosing brands that adhere to sustainable practices, pushing fashion houses to follow suit. Unfortunately, the fashion industry remains one of the main contributors to climate change. This is due to unsustainable fast fashion practices that produce garments quickly and cheaply, but leave a large carbon footprint.
As a result, even as they implement digital tools, some brands are shifting their focus to slow fashion. This segment is based on sustainable practices and the use of environmentally friendly materials that are more expensive, but more durable. Given the growing environmental awareness, sustainable fashion brands are seeing a steady increase in consumer demand.
Needless to mention, trends towards digital sales and sustainability are slowly transforming the Indian fashion landscape for the better. Innovation and sustainability in fashion are interrelated because technological tools and techniques improve manufacturing processes and make them more sustainable.
A variety of technology tools
The main technological tools and innovations used in fashion are AI (artificial intelligence), AR, VR, 3D printing, novel fabrics, blockchain and bio-packaging, among others. A little elaboration on the above will give a better idea of how these innovations benefit consumers.
Artificial intelligence: AI applications include the ability to enrich customer experiences, assess and predict fashion trends, as well as understand style aesthetics and purchasing patterns. For example, touch screens at retail outlets can offer personalized product recommendations to customers through AI chat technology. This is possible because the AI is programmed to understand the aesthetics of fashion, such as texture, color and style preferences.
Augmented and Virtual Reality: Coming to AR and VR, while AR offers interactivity along with simulations of the real world environment, VR provides a completely simulated environment. Thanks to these exciting tools, the physical and digital realms of retail can be combined to offer customers an immersive experience as they “try on” clothing virtually. Furthermore, it is even possible to create a full VR version of an entire store.
3d print: This is a manufacturing process whereby real items can be made from digital designs. Through 3D printing, textile waste can be significantly reduced compared to conventional clothing design as water usage, pollution, and air pollution are reduced. Fashion designers can also have unlimited options with 3D printing, promoting greater innovation and more vibrant designs.
Novel fabrics: While synthetic and non-biodegradable fabrics are used quickly, novel fabrics are preferred slowly. Such fabrics include fibers made from algae, lab-grown leather, vegan leather made from apple pectin, etc. Naturally, these products are biodegradable and ecological.
block chain: This innovative technology is transforming operations by tracking assets and recording transactions through the creation of a permanent and unalterable database. Blockchain is helping fashion industry professionals increase efficiency and transparency in their supply chains. By assigning a unique digital ID to each fashion product, blockchain makes it easy to track every item and shipment. Consequently, the interested parties can exchange documents and data securely.
Bio-Packaging: As online shopping emerges as an important means of driving fashion sales, product packaging has taken on additional importance. Although plastic forms a core component of almost all packaging that is quickly discarded after just one use, this is not an ideal situation, especially when it is not biodegradable. Biopackaging solves this problem as it is made from renewable resources or is biodegradable, or both.
There is no doubt that technological innovations are reshaping the future of fashion and can help make the industry greener, more sustainable and more consumer-centric. But technology alone will not solve the industry’s various problems.
Human intervention in the form of mindset changes and policy reforms is also required to incentivize the use of sustainable practices and materials that can promote a circular economy. For this to happen, brands, consumers, the industry at large, and policymakers must work in unison to create a more vibrant, future-proof, and sustainable fashion fraternity.
(The author is Anurag Saboo, co-founder of DaMENSCH)
(Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author. They do not reflect the views of India TV)
Source: www.indiatvnews.com