It’s undeniable that fashion has been the largest e-commerce market sector and the most dynamic one. And it seems like it will keep its position and keep growing in 2022.
As an ever-changing industry, it continues to grow — with new trends and competitors popping up every day!
Even though the dynamics are constantly changing within the industry there’s one thing that keeps steady. And that is, HIGH CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS!
Fashion shoppers expect a lot from the brands they shop from.
And to stay ahead of your competition, you need to know exactly what consumers are looking for from your brand.
For this purpose, we created this article to show you how you can target and convert fashion shoppers.
Now, let’s have a look at the latest fashion consumer insights and best practices to apply them to your store and boost your sales.
Latest fashion e-commerce market trends
2022 is a critical year in fashion e-commerce, but let’s cut the freeze frame and dive into the details.
First of all, raised on a diet of smartphones, Instagram and TikTok, Gen Z and Millennials spend an average of 8-10 hours on their phone every single day.
And all this screen time translates into lots of online shopping.
Second of all, Gen Z & Millennials order apparel and accessories online more than any other age group.
On average, these style-smart demographics spend an average of €100 per product and shop online twice a month.
Moreover, of those shoppers in the fashion industry, 72% are women and 28% are men. And aside from tech shoppers, fashion consumers are the biggest fans of international stores.
And there’s the social media fact…
Indeed, a lot of http://www.betropharmacy.net/ e-commerce brands are building a presence and connecting with their community on social media. For sure, this is more essential than ever in 2022.
It’s out of the discussion that more fashion shoppers are using their favorite social media apps to find new clothes and accessories and nd numbers show that 54% of people use social media apps to find new products.
While social media is a big part of any successful e-commerce marketing strategy, our research shows that 80% of fashion shoppers prefer to buy directly from online retailers and marketplaces like Amazon and eBay, rather than social media.
Now we’ve seen a snapshot of some of the stats and it’s time to explore even more of them.
Discover the secrets of conversions for your webshop
You’ve read the latest stats of the fashion e-commerce market but now it’s time to put them into play.
You’ll have a better understanding of how you can target your shoppers and boost your conversions.
Hope these insights will be helpful to level up your online retail strategies in fashion and drive more conversions in 2022.
Hook Gen Z with your brand
Generation Z (born in 1996 and after) are big on online shopping. Here’s what you need to know to market to this stylish demographic in 2022.
As Vogue highlights, Gen Z is super engaged with their favorite brands, but also constantly searches for newness.
They’re always excited to discover new fashion trends that match their individual style.
They’re the ones breaking gender and street-style fashion rules and looking to express their unique selves in their clothing choices.
It’s good to remember that Gen Z craves authentic brands that match their own values. In this case, McKinsey notes:
“They’re looking beyond tangible products and actually trying to understand what is it that makes the company tick. What’s its mission? What’s its purpose? And what is it actually trying to build for us as a society?”
When it comes to online fashion retailers, Gen Z is challenging because they have a hell of options to choose from.
To capture their attention, you need to big up your green and ethical credentials.
For them, ethical and sustainable fashion matters. And so do authentic brands….
Show strong brand values and clearly-defined brand identity
You can simply start by answering these questions:
- What is the story behind your brand? What’s unique and interesting about your backstory? What challenges have you overcome? Who are the founders and key team members behind your brand, what are their stories and what do they bring to your company? Your story informs your ethics and philosophy, so you can answer: what are your brand values?
- What are the ethical considerations you care most about? Do you support fair labor? Do you focus on green initiatives and shipping? Do you donate a percentage of your profits to charities that are important and relevant to your brand?
Promote your brand values and ethical considerations across your website and marketing materials, such as on your homepage copy, in your product descriptions, and throughout your social media feeds.
Moreover, if you’re looking to market effectively to Gen Z, then you need to get on their favorite social media channels. Gen Z takes style inspiration from their favorite Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat accounts.
You can target them by:
- Using trending hashtags
- Creating interactive content like quizzes, polls, and questions
- Playing on their FOMO by showcasing time-sensitive sales and promos
- Creating giveaways with their favorite influencers
Lastly, Gen Z is financially savvy — they’re big fans of finding a bargain and buy now, pay later schemes.
To drive sales, you should offer multiple payment options and frequent sales throughout the year.
Empower shoppers to track their items
Nothing feels worse than finding a killer outfit for an upcoming party, only for it to fail to arrive in time.
Combat shoppers’ anxiety and build trust in your brand by allowing them to track their items on the way to their doorstep.
If you want to look chic and on-brand doing it, use branded track-and-trace notifications (à la those offered by Sendcloud).
Check out these interesting stats:
- 74% of the shoppers prefer to get updates over email
- 28% of shoppers like to get updates via carrier tracking apps
- 45% of the shoppers prefer to get their updates over SMS
- 21% of shoppers want to get updates on WhatsApp
Don’t get caught out by these shipping mistakes
In 2022, with more fashion-focused shoppers doing most of their shopping online, your shipping game is more important than ever.
As an e-commerce store owner, you probably know a thing or two about high cart abandonment rates. And you’re not alone. In the e-commerce realm, the average cart abandonment rate is around 68.81%.
And what’s the biggest barrier to conversions?
Expensive and unexpected shipping costs…
Thankfully, 71% of fashion consumers are down to add another product to their cart to hit the free shipping threshold.
To get more shoppers through checkout, offer your visitors free shipping if they reach a certain spend amount.
You can do this to drive conversions, up your average order value (how much shoppers spend per shop), and boost your customer satisfaction rates.
As we highlighted above, high shipping costs put many consumers off their shopping carts. But a less than solid shipping strategy can also catch you out in a number of other ways.
According to our research, while 71% of shoppers say that expensive shipping was the main reason they stopped shopping with a store, 45% said they ditched a brand because shipping was too slow.
Luckily, you don’t need to get your parcels out the same day, most shoppers expect to receive their packages within 2 to 5 days.
To convert shoppers at the moment and to keep them coming back, you need affordable and fast shipping.
Also, you don’t want to miss the opportunity of flexible delivery options, as 75% of fashion shoppers rate this as an important factor.
Go green: fashion consumers want brands that align with sustainable values
COVID-19 and worldwide lockdowns have made many people more aware of the huge impact we are having on the planet.
And e-commerce is a key contributor to carbon emissions. This is despite the fact that carbon emissions are 36% lower than those created by in-store shopping.
To draw in the green consumer (which is pretty much everyone), you need to beef up and share your plans for a greener business and delivery in 2022.
54% of fashion consumers think the rise in online shopping is a problem for the environment.
To help tackle this, you need to focus on greener packaging (and less of it!).
80% of online fashion shoppers think the packaging materials that cushion products ordered online should be fully recyclable.
Think: recycled cardboard and paper, up-cycled bubble wrap, and recycled plastics.
In addition, 70% of people believe that online fashion stores use too much packaging to ship their orders. So skip the extra boxes and bubble wrap!
You can also keep your shoppers happy by offering green (CO2 neutral) delivery methods (something 61% of online shoppers now expect).
Go carbon neutral by shipping your products at quieter times, on shorter routes and using carriers that are offering carbon-neutral shipment options (hello, UPS).
Get in-depth insights into fashion consumers with the new Sendcloud report
More and more fashion-conscious consumers are heading online to shop chic and sustainable clothes.
And shoppers are expecting more from brands in 2022. From businesses that show their green, customer-winning ethics to companies that offer fast, free, and transparent shipping practices.
Hope you’ve found this guide helpful to match and beat your customers’ expectations in 2022.
If you’d like to discover more in-depth insights into fashion consumers you can download our extensive report.👇
