TECHNOLOGY
Looking for Tools to Bridge the Tech Gap Between Online and Bricks-and-Mortar
From start-up apparel brands launched online to established brands that are adapting online channels into a traditional bricks-and-mortar wholesale business model, the topics at the Fashion Digital Conference aimed to satisfy the needs of brands at different stages of the digital marketing and online retail business.
Held at the Los Angeles Convention Center on May 7, the event featured panel discussions, workshops and the opportunity to browse the latest software tools for addressing both the macro and micro trends of selling fashion in a digital age.
Approaching from the macro view, the panel “Having It All: Online and Offline Collide” discussed how brands connect the dots between online and bricks-and-mortar shopping. This omnichannel approach seamlessly links the two retail channels on the back end. Most of the questions dealt with the technological side of the coin.
“We want to figure out how to do it right now rather than have to retrofit later,” said Hilda Fontana for Toms shoes, which has five bricks-and-mortar stores. Fontana said customers expect to be able to redeem online promotions, credit or gift cards interchangeably between online and bricks-and-mortar stores, but technologically it’s not always that easy.
To bridge the inventory gaps, Alex Golshan of BCBG Max Azria said the company has implemented iPads into the bricks-and-mortar stores so that customers can order a product online if her size is unavailable in the store. BCBG is exploring ways to make this process even more fluid. “How do we achieve single inventory, not inventory silos? How do we make sure we get that inventory from wherever it may reside within our total enterprise and get that to the customer at the moment that she wants it,” Golshan said were the big questions to answer.
When it comes to choosing technology to satisfy these needs, the panelists warned to try before you buy to reduce future compatibility headaches with existing systems. “There are so many shiny objects out. You have to pull back and see what’s within your stack right now and what’s on your roadmap,” said Nathan Liu for PacSun. “Implementation always sounds easy until you get in the middle of it. Most times it impacts not just one technology and makes everything else more complex.” Golshan added that upgrading systems is a goalpost that’s never reached. “The biggest thing to realize is it’s a journey, not a project,” Golshan said.
Another panel on social media featuring spokeswomen from the brands Igigi, Hot Topic, Thursday Friday and Jill Aiko Yee and blogger Chastity Garner Valentine, whose blog is called Garner Style, discussed the changing social-media trends and optimizing paid and earned media. Facebook proved to be the best platform for driving traffic to blog posts and starting community conversations. Instagram was the winner for the best place to showcase a brand’s moodboard, and uniformly “curated feeds” was mentioned as a trend. Pinterest emerged as a top referral traffic driver for sales. Because of the different channel’s strengths and weaknesses, the panelists advised to optimize content for each platform.
Social media isn’t just a shiny marketing exterior. Customers treat social media as a direct line to the brand. “We have a customer-service rep who is dedicated to social. … Customers reaching out on social expect an answer within one hour,” said Katherine Hernandez for Hot Topic. She continued, “If the same questions come up multiple times, there’s an issue there.”
Masha Kubyshina for plus-size clothing brand Igigi said that brands often forget that social media isn’t a one-way channel to pump out promotions—it’s a conversation and forum to find out about the perception of your brand in the market, discover natural ambassadors and improve overall. “Listen to what they say and what they ask,” Kubyshina said.
Editor’s note: There are two competing Fashion Digital Los Angeles conferences run by separate individuals, Sandy Hussain and Ryan Slack, who are currently disputing ownership of the conference’s name and content. Hussain’s Fashion Digital Los Angeles conference is scheduled for May 19.
