Developments in fashion and the relationship with the digital world
This is the second part to our interview with Carlo Terreni, co-founder and board member of NetComm Suisse Association. MarketPlus will be a media partner to the event e-Commerce meets Fashion in the “Ticino Fashion Valley, which will be held in Lugano on March 13th.
What do you think are the next developments in this field?
The process of adaptation to the digital businesses is inevitably linked hand in glove with the evolution of consumer habits.
The innovative technological resources are numerous and fashion companies make use of ICT to meet the growing needs of users. There are already good examples of the use of ICT in this area: for example, the method click & collect, which means the possibility the customer has to purchase the product online and collect it from a physical store. Or the tendency of some chains to open showrooms in which the buyer can touch the product, buy it and receive it comfortably at home.
If the ICT helps the fashion world, is there something that the former can borrow from it?
Understanding the needs of the consumer is crucial to organize a path of digital technology and communication with the latter. Learning about the buying habits of each user gives companies dedicated to fashion the ability to request ICT to develop solutions more and more dedicated to the buyer, which are also reliable and secure.
There is for example an international brand in the United States that launched a "shopping experience" where customers can mirror in front of the surfaces that digitally draw on them clothes from the latest collection. A cutting-edge technical solution, developed precisely to suit the fashion enthusiasts.
Is there a market share in which the relationship is more or less developed – in the world of high fashion, maybe, or vice versa.
The relationship between e-commerce and fashion is developing very fast and it is very difficult to identify a precise range. More interesting, however, is having a glimpse on the whole market and observing it carefully to identify those innovations that can come as much from high fashion brand as from a distributor active on an international level, without forgetting smaller or family-run companies that are still a symbol of Swiss excellence. Each of them can take advantage of the digital commerce to innovate and expand its network of customers, and this is also one of the services NetComm Suisse has towards its associates.