Fashion & Apparel

ABOUT THE INDUSTRY

Fashion and Apparel

Canada is home to many successful apparel design and manufacturing companies with its largest fashion hubs in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. These companies maximize global value chains to source fabrics and provide manufacturing services, access warehousing and distribution, and invest in digital solutions in order to compete and sell globally. 

In 2020, non-essential businesses such as apparel retailers were mandated to close as the entire country went into lockdown mode due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, global supply chains of materials were disrupted as regulations were tightened and international shipping costs skyrocketed. 

There has been a significant increase in demand for casual attire and sportswear while sales in formal wear dipped in demand, as lockdowns led to an increase in Canadians working from home. On the other hand, E-commerce apparel sales grew significantly in Canada as larger brands and well-known retailers capitalize their investment in online shopping platforms and digital technologies.

Recent Statistic

The Canadian e-commerce market’s largest segment is apparel with the average household expenditure of $285per month or $3,340 annually.

In 2021, the sales value of the Canadian apparel market was forecast to amount to approximately 26.4 billion Canadian dollars, a figure which is expected to reach around 28.5 billion dollars by 2024.

Sales of apparel, footwear, and accessories catapulted in 2021, hitting $180.5 billion in the US alone. That’s tipped to grow by 13% this year, with consumers set to spend $204.9 billion on fashion items online.

Social commerce sales are expected to nearly triple by 2025, with more than one-third of Facebook users planning to make a purchase directly through the platform in 2022.

54% of consumers are likely to look at a product online and buy it in a physical store AND 53% vision themselves doing the opposite: viewing products in-store and buying it online.

As of January 2022, 55% of Canadians made online retail purchases with their mobile devices and this trend is growing.

fashion-stats

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FUTURE OF FASHION

Digital Transformation In Fashion and Apparel Industry

Fashion brands are transitioning to a more digital approach, while continuing to refine their physical presence in today’s ever-changing landscape. The Covid 19 pandemic has led to the digitization of a lot of key global fashion events, such as the Fashion Week and seasonal collection runways. Some brands adapted to the change quite successfully, while many are still faced with the challenge of making their virtual collections come to life without physical spaces and making them easily accessible to the press, buyers and end consumers.

With limited availability of physical space, fashion companies are finding ways to create a smooth visual flow to communicate with press and influencers and figuring out a way to make the product feel real in a digital setting. As user experience starts with brands assets, such as samples and digital content, brands are looking to improve the digital experience they offer to efficiently share and amplify their brand message to the world. 

One of the most common approaches is to adopt a centralized, cloud-based system that enables internal teams and those outside the organization to access the necessary data. Focus on finding new ways to immerse your audience in your new, exclusive collections and inspire industry insiders beyond the event and presentation. By making sure you have the right tools and strategies in the right place in time for the next show, you can increase your speed, efficiency and consistency and help increase your brand’s performance.

01. Technology now allows audiences and consumers to actively participate in fashion: they make an active choice to be in certain fashion communities, communicating with brands what trends they like or don’t like, and what value they are willing or not willing to accept.

Identity is at the core of the current leading generations, millennials and gen Z. Such generations, who are frequently engaged on social media, say they define their identity through style. Knowing this distinction, brands continue to refine and redefine their brand image, identity, message, and experience on social media to attract and engage their target community of consumers. In fact, what brands aim to create is more than just an experience–rather a culture or subculture. 

By producing content that is accessible, digestible, and in alignment with the spirit of the time, fashion brands are creating digital links with their consumers that thus translate to the emotional.

Connect with us to learn how we can transform your business

02. Since fashion shows were rendered impossible for months, we’ve witnessed a total makeover of how shows and shopping are carried out through digital means. The world’s first ever fully digital fashion week happened in Shanghai in March of 2020, with over 150 brands participating via TMall, China’s biggest e-commerce platform. Buyers got to experience the comprehensive digital experience, from viewing the detailed attributes of the products to buying them from their mobile phones. 

The above event is just one in multiple examples of how technology facilitates creativity. Major fashion shows such as Fashions Weeks have started to utilize QR code and 3D rendering to display the collection from the audience’s phones. Some designers even integrate virtual effects to create the effects of a physical show. In this way, fashion dialogues and experiences have become more accessible to people all over the world, no matter where they are.

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03. A report from the Economist Intelligence Unit estimates that in 2020, online retail sales in the top 60 economies rose by over 30%. Additionally, Euromonitor International’s report on retail innovation predicts that by 2024, global online retailing will see growth of $1.5 trillion. 

As the pandemic forced the closure of many physical stores, fashion brands, from contemporary, mid-end, to luxury, have turned to e-commerce platforms to pick up the slack for in-store sales. A lot of brands have integrated virtual shopping assistance and shopping functions in their digital platforms to allow for a more seamless shopping experience. Gucci hired shopping assistants to virtually style customers, for instance, and brands including Macy’s, Adidas, and ASOS are looking into virtual fitting rooms.

Connect with us to learn how we can transform your business
Technology is not a hindrance but rather a facilitator of creativity.

How we can help your business

Our aim is to combine smart design thinking and innovative use of technology to create a compelling digital experience for your business and users on every platform.

01

Brand and Identity

We create cohesive and engaging branding elements that best represent your business.

02

Web Design and Development

We build responsive websites that work just as good as they look.

03

Live Chat and Customer Engagement Tools

We help you improve customer engagement with AI-powered live chat services.

04

Video Production

We produce engaging video content that increase understanding of your products/services.

05

Marketing Automation

We build automated systems that strategically target customers across multiple channels.

06

Social Media Management

We develop strategies and create content that are tailored for your audiences.

Many different paths lead to digital transformation and each organization’s journey will be unique. Our services covers many more areas. Connect with us on how we can digitally transform your business.
Stepping up innovation through digital transformation has become a top priority for top leading companies in this ever changing digital age.

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