How Can Fashion Designers Slip Seamlessly Into the Online World?

It is no secret that the traditional high street as we once knew it is slowly coming to an end. I once remember the days where I could walk down my high street and there would be a Woolworths for toys, numerous independent retailers offering a variety of clothes and shoes and a grocery. However times have changed dramatically in the past 5 years, now consumers have a limited choice when shopping on their high street. Groceries and newsagents are being replaced with either a local Tesco’s or Co Operative and there has been a severe reduction in the amount of independent retailers as commercial rents have soared to the extent that running the business profitably is no longer feasible.

This has resulted in many businesses owners, particularly fashion designers, leaving the high street business model behind and taking the plunge into the online world. This is an increasingly popular option for business owners in the UK as recent studies from the Boston Consulting Group state Britain is currently the biggest e-commerce market per capita and the second largest online advertising market. 

It is all well and good being able to move from the high street to online however this does not guarantee success. As the internet caters for websites from all over the world, businesses could potentially go from competing on a local or a national scale to a global scale depending on the strength of their brand. 

When factoring this into a business plan making the transition from the high street to the online world can prove far more daunting than first anticipated however with over two thirds of adults making online purchases in the UK alone there is definitely scope for a ecommerce fashion business to be successful online if they have the correct strategy in place.

Google may disagree with me on this however I have a strong hunch search engines tend to favour the more renowned brands when deciding to position sites in their search results, especially fashion designers. This could spell bad news for smaller independent companies however there are ways in which they can change their strategy in order to make their online fashion business a success.

The growth of social media is astonishing, there is just no denying it, everywhere you look whether you are on a train, bus, in the park the list could go on, there is always someone checking their Twitter feed or posting their latest Facebook status. These are just the 2 biggest social media sites if you also take into account the amount of users on Pinterest, Linkedin and Google+ then you end up with a huge audience in which a fashion ecommerce business could target when promoting a product or a service.

As a fashion designer it is extremely important that you promote your brand on the correct digital channels therefore it is worth doing research into what online platforms your customer base predominately engage on before fleshing out a social media strategy.  Once this is in place and you have chosen your social media platform then it is vital that you do the following things...

This may seem blindingly obvious however many fashion companies fall short when optimising their social media profiles. Some of the main things that an ecommerce business should be including on their social media profiles are:

• A company mission statement: This lets customers who haven’t previously heard about your business get an overview of your company values and what services or products you provide.

• Photos: As a fashion designer you will get little to no enquiries if you don’t show your customers images of the products you sell. Having images of your products on your social media platform can help existing and potential customers view your products and this may result in them being more accustomed with your brand or making an online purchase.

• Contact Details: This is also vital for fashion ecommerce businesses interacting on social media for if a customer views your social media page and then doesn’t know how to contact you or visit your website it is likely they will quickly move on to a competitors page.

• Interaction:  Once you have your profile set up and have uploaded your details along with your images then it is vital that you interact with other people in your market and people who may be interested in your products. This can help increase your brand profile and allow you to establish business connections.

Get Your Customers Attention

Much like a fashion designer walk in store it is vital for a fashion website to instantly grab their customer’s attention if they click through to their website. As the fashion industry is so competitive this can make the difference between getting a sale of not therefore it is worthwhile displaying your best products or deals to show your customer what your business can offer that no one else in the market currently does. Once you have a customer’s attention here are some other techniques that a fashion designer should take into account when designing there website in order to increase the chances of it being profitable.   

Image Failure

This is one of my pet hates when trying to make a purchase online. We’ve all been on a fashion ecommerce website before and clicked through to a product only to find there is no image available. I can guarantee you in 99% of all circumstances this will result in the visitor clicking away from the website and it could damage your brand reputation as consumers may associate your brand with poor quality as they have had a frustrating experience on your website.

Useful Product Information

Another must for all fashion websites and this is useful information on the products that you sell. This should be close to the image of the product so users can find as much about what they are buying in one place rather than having to search around the site for this information. Examples of product information fashion designers should be including on their website are:

• Colours available
• Sizes available
• How many are left in stock
• Special offers
• Product Overview
• Delivery information.

Having clear product information can help a fashion website convert far easier than those websites that do not list as much information on their products as  consumers will be clear and confidence as to exactly what they are buying.

If a visitor enters a website and finds it difficult to navigate or find what they are looking for then they will leave it really is as simple as that, nowadays there is so much diversity when shopping online that the majority of consumers are too lazy to spend their time trying to work out the intricate details of a site. One way around this is to make it easy to find your products whether it is by type, brand, price etc. Once a customer has found the product they want the next step is they probably will want to ‘add it to their cart/basket’ before either looking for another products or making a purchase. Therefore it is important that you make your calls to action as clear and as visible as possible alongside your order forms to make your site as user friendly as possible in order to increase conversions.

As fashion designers will all know already it is vital to stay up-to-date with the latest trends in order for your store to be considered reputable within the fashion industry however on online it is also important to be technically sound to have a successful business. When considering an online venture it may be worthwhile to pick up digital marketing skills. Recently training independent fashion ecommerce businesses in ecommerce SEO and PPC has become widely available, which is designed to teach business owners how to market their company in a digital environment.

In addition receiving knowledge in digital marketing can also help combat problems related to the technical side of the website from anything from adding new content to blocking admin access to the general public. This will help a online business become more successful as if the owner has the ability to fix technical issues related to the site then they make changes whenever they see fit in order to keep up with the market.

These are just some of the things a fashion designer should be taking into consideration when making the move from a walk in store to the online world. It may be tough to begin with however the internet can offer huge possibilities for a fashion company to distribute their products worldwide and grow as a business.

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