Trend Journal
Multimedia Storefronts
Second-Hand Clothing
Environmentally Friendly Materials
Influencer Marketing
Personalization
Digital Fashion
Appendix
Nike is a prime example of using multimedia storefronts since 2018, their cutting-edge technology has geared their audiences to test out and engage with the products before consideration of purchasing Multimedia storefronts
With the ever-growing technological advancements, companies have been developing interactive channels where brands can create stories to enhance their customers shopping experiences by building content off shopper’s desires in what they wish to see within the brand. The picture above displays Nike using their cutting-edge technology that allows their customer compare their shoes on a projected monitor. This was launched in 2015 and has successfully intergraded technology in a storefront to enhance their customers experiences.
Why has it emerged?
For the past three years, eCommerce has been a driving point of sales for the fashion industry and is projected by 2025 to make 545.4 million dollars in sales. According to the article “The Power of Multimedia in Storefronts”, 87% of customers will begin their product searches online even for in store purchases. Multimedia is a way for companies to mold online and reality into one to elevate customer engagement.
Storefronts that have successfully combined their digital and physical channels have seen an increase of 10% in sales. For them to be able to be successful they had to understand what their audiences wanted. The article “The Power of Multimedia in Storefronts”, states how 78% of customer believe that interactive technologies, such as AR and VR, elevate their shopping experiences and 40% would be more inclined to purchase a product if they were able to interact with the product before hand.
May 2023, Tiffany & Co. interactive pop-up shop that blended visual graphics and in person seeing of Tiffany & Co.’s product history for the past 187 years. Giving their audiences the opportunity to see the brands development.By integrating online and reality channels, brands are increasing their brand audience which overtime will impact brand loyalty from their customers. Investing in multimedia channels develops a more individualizing experience that allows customers to explore in depth the products they are purchasing before hand. The article “The Power of Multimedia in Storefronts”, 65% of customers feel more connected to the brands they purchase from that are using interactive technologies. Creating relevant content surrounding your brand and target audiences can create a deeper relationship within brands and their customers.
What are the opportunities?
Second-Hand Clothing
Within the past few years, a rise in second-hand clothing has seen an expediential increase due to the desire of many to move forward for a more sustainable future. The apparel industry itself is one of the biggest emitters of CO2 emissions, by 2026 it’s projected 1,266 million metric tons will be emitted from the industry itself.
“Secondhand displayed nearly 1 billion new clothing purchases in 2021 that normally would have been bought new.”
-ThreadUP’s 2022 Resale Report
With the global expansion of the desire to make the fashion industry a more sustainable practice, resale has seen it’s highest growth in 2022 with 24% and by 2026, since 2021, to increase to 127% overall. We have seen a growth in resale sites such as ThreadUP, Vestiaire Collective, and The RealReal rise in consumer purchases as majority of shoppers prefer to find the more sustainable option first and to also save money at the same time.
Who is behind the emerge?
Gen Z has been a huge advocate when it comes to secondhand products. They have seen the amount of waste that is going into landfills from the fashion industry and the damage it will continue to do to the environment if a change isn’t made. On top of the environmental impact it has been making on the planet, it is also a more economical advantage per Gen Z as they are able to achieve more affordable options in clothing.
"45% of Gen Z and Millennials saying they’re more likely to shop with a brand that offers secondhand clothing alongside new.” -ThreadUp
With Gen Z’s constant use of their voice on the prominent issues regarding apparel production, some brands have taken action by incorporating resale options within their brand. Such as Nordstrom, where they created their own resale site called, See You Tomorrow, that is online and one singular in person store where customers can purchase secondhand items or contribute their own secondhand items to the store. By brands part-taking in their own form of resale, they can create their own narrative with it which ultimately can help them gain a new customer base while also taking action into helping the environment.
Influencer Marketing
Within the past decade, social media platforms such as YouTube and Instagram had spiked popularity among the following of creators who produce content on the app. Furthermore, this later developed to brands using creators to promote their products through brand advertisement. However, within the past few years since TikTok rose to a main promotion app through influencers; we have seen in 2022 brands have spent three times the amount on influencer marketing compared to ten years ago to acquire a large customer demographic.
Why are influencers popular?
Since 2022, 33% of Gen Z and 23% of Millennials purchase products advertised by influencers. Influencers have gained popularity within the Millennial and Gen Z age groups by creating their brand in a relatable yet desirable way to keep their audience engaged. It has been found that 49% of Millennials find influencer recommendations more engaging than a regular ad commercial and 36% find influencers more trustworthy than regular ads as well.
Alix Earl, for example, TikTok influencer, blew up around September of 2022 for her lifestyle at the University of Miami; however, with the fame she has gained she has used her platform to talk about issues with acne, created a scholarship with the University of Miami for students, and shows the not so glamorous parts of her life to her audiences which has created a vulnerability on her platform. Furthermore, she has talked about how she won’t promote a product unless she has worked off camera with said product for a couple months before advertising it to her followers creating a trust with her audiences. Her platform has become a safe place for many people which has increased her demand for product promotion from brands.
How are brands capitalizing on Influencer Marketing?
Brands have had to understand the shift in how technology is being used to promote products. Screen time for individuals have increased 2.5 hours per day within the past year and 38% of screen time is spent on social media such as Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. This has made the Gen Z and Millennial age groups find new products through influencer promotions than searching through ads.
Brands use this marketing in two ways. The first is through a paid advertisement where terms and conditions are made, and the influencer gets paid to promote their product; price varies through the popularity of the creator and the engagement seen through their videos. The second way is through PR packages, the packages are sent out to creators in hopes they make a video opening the package and see it incorporated through their daily routines, gaining exposure on their products. The global market of influencer marketing reached $21.1 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $24 billion in 2024.
A brand using Influencer Marketing
Since 2018, Amazon has launched a “storefront” for businesses to sell their products online for medium-sized business and created over 900,000 jobs. With the shift in how influencer marketing has gone, content creators on social media platforms have had the opportunity to create their own store fronts from the products they promote and use. This allows creators to make commission for the products they advertise. Amazon provides benefits by sending PR packages of new products and have created events for influencers by creating their storefronts in real life with the products on their page. This has become a community for influencers who use amazon storefronts.
Environmentally Friendly Materials
Moving into a more sustainable future, the rise of more environmentally friendly materials to be used to create textiles. These fabrics consist of non-synthetic and non-plastic materials that are replacements for animal-based materials such as fur, wool, leather, and down. Instead, the use of vegan materials such as plant- based fabrics have been produced which has helped the serious environmental problems we are facing in the textile industry.
Since 2021, consumers have preferred nomenclature materials in the products they purchase such as Eco Materials (26%), Animal Free Materials (21%), Next-Gen Materials (16%), and Vegan (6%). These technologies have diversified in the ways the companies utilize the resource's to produce the fabrics.
21.6% of companies have been investing making their materials through microbes which are a network of carbohydrate molecules excreted by some organisms. 8.6% use Mycelium which is a fungus used for the manufactor of vegan leather.
Popularity has also increased from the plants or fruits used to make these fabrics; furthermore, bamboo has become a popular plant used to make a soft fabric used within clothing. Also, Piñtax, a leather produced from pineapple in replacement of real leather. Lastly, Rose Petal Silks are started to be made from fallen petals and converted into thread with natural dyes.
Brands incorporating Environmentally Friendly Materials
In 2021, Hermès introduced an alternate to traditional called mushroom leather. They teamed up with California-based company MycoWorks to develop the sustainable material. It has first been displayed in the classic Victoria Travel Bag. Hermès being a company that typically produces leather good material, this was an amazing integration as it is showing Hermès moving into the sustainable world as a company.
At the 2023 Boss fashion show in Milan, they presented their limited-edition trio jackets that were created from a new fiber to replace polyester and other oil-based materials. These jackets were created with their long-time strategic partnership with HeiQ AeoniQ, that produced a material that is a cellulose-based yarn that is said to be endlessly recycled, biodegradable, and can compete with fossil-fueled textiles on performance.