The pandemic has massively rewired the behaviour of consumers over the last few months: from a significant rise in online shopping to an increase in conscious consumption – this year has been unpredictable and challenging for a lot of brands.
According to Bloomberg, Online Shopping and e-commerce demand in the UK surged by 16.2 percent in July 2020 compared to 2019, which just goes to show how dependent on online shopping we have been this year.
It’s also been a challenging and interesting year for us at SABINNA.
In order to stay afloat and help our business survive, we had to react quickly to new trends, come up with a different marketing strategy and stay up to date with innovation amongst other things.
Retail has of course been hit the hardest with restrictions changing every few weeks. In times like these, brands heavily relied on their e-commerce to make sales. Trends have been shifting rapidly as well and brands had to pivot their product offering according to the demand of the customers.
However, simply having an online platform or a website is not enough these days. Particularly in times where the competition is as tough as ever. The way we shop today is very different compared to 10 years ago so we asked ourselves: what will the future of e-commerce look like and what does it mean for our shopping experiences and habits?
As part of exploring this topic, we wanted to take a look at how new trends, developments and digital shifts dictate the way we shop and consume fashion. In the third episode of our podcast ‘Consciousness Beyond The Product’, we were joined by industry experts Kalkidan Legesse, Amy Lee and Damara Ingles to discuss exactly that.
What did we learn from this episode and what can we predict about the future of fashion e-commerce?
We have seen a big increase in extended reality experiences for shopping (particularly digital avatars and personas). This trend will only continue as the industry will put an even stronger focus on innovative digital technologies and personal experiences. One of them being social shopping: there are going to be more personal shopping experiences via Zoom or WhatsApp, allowing an extra layer of personal styling and direct storytelling.
The way we behave online is also going to change our physical shopping experiences: we will see more touchless transactions and diversified delivery models are also going to gain increasing importance.
Overall, important trends to look out for when it comes to a successful e-commerce platform are: concepts focusing on a sustainable approach, storytelling through digital spaces and a solid, long-lasting relationship with your customers. Bonus points if these are already part of your brand ethos. Generally speaking, there will be increasing opportunities for smaller online businesses.
To find out more, make sure you listen to the third episode of our podcast ‘Consciousness Beyond The Product’ featuring Kalkidan Legesse, Amy Lee and Damara Ingles.
You can listen to the full episode via Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
As well as find out more on our Instagram account @sabinna_com
Any questions? E-mail us at podcast@sabinna.com or send us a DM via Instagram.
