Customers’ expectations of fashion brands

Today’s customers are demanding more from the fashion industry. For this reason, a company dedicated to fashion must cover all the necessary aspects for the satisfaction of its customers. In today’s dynamic and highly saturated fashion space, it is imperative for brands to keep up with customer preferences and demands to sustain their business. So it is worth asking: what do customers today expect from fashion brands?

Studying the trends in the fashion market, there are 3 main aspects in which a brand can excel in order to successfully attract customers to the goods offered. These include:

• Demand for personalization

Personalization is important to today’s consumer. With access to seemingly endless information via the Internet, consumers are well informed and interested in supporting companies that reflect their style and personality. This need for personalized merchandise is not limited to the product itself, the actual shopping and buying experience must also be customized and personalized. Whether it’s personalized marketing and digital content, or suggested outfits and related products in an online shopping bag or shopper’s product queue, today’s fashion consumer expects companies to understand their style and cater to their needs.

• Demand for sustainability

For many fashion companies, sustainable practices and processes represent a significant shift – both culturally and operationally. While today’s fashion consumer is drawn to companies that reflect their style and personality, they are often just as interested in brands that reflect their values and beliefs. Frequently, sustainability and a commitment to environmentally friendly materials and practices are right at the top of the list of values. Therefore, in order to remain relevant and appeal to the environmentally conscious customer in this day and age, companies need to focus on sustainability.

• Demand for quality and the decline of brand loyalty

In a fashion space now teaming with different brands, consumers have options. Where customers were once limited to a handful of labels and often remained loyal to one or two specific brands, today there are many options; each vying for the same customers in order to gain market share and beat the competition[1].

As you can see, consumer trends play a significant role when it comes to the development of the fashion industry and specific brands. They influence not only the positive or negative perception of brands, but also their position in a highly competitive sector, which is undoubtedly fashion today. The more a brand is oriented to the needs, expectations or requirements of customers, the more likely it is that the very clothes with its label will be more willingly purchased by them.

[1] Lectra “3 ways customers are shaping the fashion industry” https://www.lectra.com/en/library/3-ways-customers-are-shaping-the-fashion-industry