How fashion brands can optimise e-commerce operations during the Covid-19 lockdown

The impact Covid-19 is having on the global fashion industry is immense,
with international lockdowns forcing physical retail stores to close and
more shoppers to look online for their fashion purchases.

With no definite end to the crisis in sight, brands need to adapt to
quickly changing shopping behaviours using data-driven insights, according
to Jon Maury, EMEA managing director at cloud-based e-commerce solutions
platform ChannelAdvisor.

“With such a sudden shift to online, it’s crucial for fashion brands to
prioritise investment into their online channels and diversify where
they’re selling in line with changing demands and behaviours,” Maury told
FashionUnited, noting a particular spike in traffic in online marketplaces.
“We’ve seen brands in countries like China embrace it as a way of reaching
shoppers and continuing to sell while people are at home and stores are
closed.”

Here are four strategies highlighted by ChannelAdvisor for brands to
optimise their e-commerce operations during the pandemic:

Keep up-to-date and use data to guide your decisions

Keeping up-to-date with shopping behaviour in such an unpredictable and
unprecedented situation is vital, and decisions should be based on
real-time behaviour. This not only means keeping an eye on changes in terms
of which products shoppers are interested in, but also which channels and devices
they’re using to shop. “Getting to grips with consumers’ changing demands
amid the crisis and their new path to purchase should be the first step in
deciding what to do next,” said Maury.

Review product promotions

Demand for specific fashion items have already begun to change, and so
brands should reconsider which lines to prioritise promoting. While data
published by ChannelAdvisor on gross merchandise value (GMV) found that
there has been an overall decline in clothing,
accessories and shoes category during the pandemic, certain product categories such
as athleisure, sportswear, and loungewear have seen an uptick as people
look to prioritise comfort and practicality while working from home.

Optimise ad spend in real time

Brands should follow a data-driven approach to advertising and shift ad
budgets to platforms and devices that are performing better or reduce ad
spend for categories that are underperforming. For example, screen time at
home has sky-rocketed since the lockdown, meaning social media sites
such as Facebook and Instagram are favourable platforms to focus ads.
Additionally, while shoppers may be buying less, the lockdown offers an
opportunity to further build a community between brands and consumers. For years brands have focused on
building more personal and engaging relationships with their customers – so
when is a better time when many are feeling isolated and uncertain? Brands can
use the
time to share stories and content rather than just advertise products.

Communicate consistently and transparently

As the lockdown brings delays and uncertainty to delivery times, it is
essential to provide transparent and real-time information. Provide
realistic windows for handling and transit (even if it’s much longer than
usual) and consider including a caveat message which sets customers’
expectations for further unexpected delay, said ChannelAdvisor.

“Over the next few weeks, the most in-demand items will continue to
change, and we’ll likely see more unpredictable changes in consumer
shopping behaviour,” said Maury. “All this presents new and uncharted
challenges for brands, but the e-commerce industry is well endowed with
data that – if used to navigate a response strategy – will play a key role
in helping the industry survive and thrive.”

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