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A mini presentation about my internship in Giorgio Armani

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Placement Report about my internship in Giorgio Armani

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What is a clothing showroom? This is a room where little-known designers exhibit their own products. Why do they do it, for whom and why, read below.

Definition of the concept

What is a clothing showroom? This is a studio or apartment, which is equipped for demonstrating certain wardrobe items to clients. How is such a place different from a regular store? Most outlets sell mass-market clothes, that is, not exclusive items, but those that were sewn for the wide masses. If you don't feel like dressing like half of the city, then your road should be in the showroom. Several types of goods are sold in such places. It can be luxury products of famous brands or products of little-known designers. It is unprofitable for both of them to sell things in ordinary stores, since they will have a small stream of customers.

Buyers who take luxury items usually already know what they want, so upon a preliminary call, they are equipped with the ordered goods. But when coming to a novice designer, most often people simply do not know what to expect. Therefore, they can have a coffee while sitting on the comfortable sofa while the young fashion designer demonstrates the best examples of his clothes on models.

Why do you need a showroom

Not all people understand why open a studio to showcase things when there are many regular stores. But what is a clothing showroom? This is the place to buy exclusives. You can't buy these things at the nearest mall. Young designers often convert their apartments into showrooms. They use this place both as a workshop and as a shop. The atmosphere in such establishments is mostly friendly, if not friendly. People like to visit, drink coffee and at the same time order an exclusive dress. Many showrooms operate on the atelier principle. Designers can not only sell something from their own collections, but also sew a unique dress according to the client's idea.

Showrooms are often used as places where young talents showcase their collections. They hire models and invite an audience, which is mostly friends and clients. Such events claim to be secular, so they usually take place with a buffet table and further afterparty.

What audience are they intended for

The dream of any aspiring designer is to recruit a wealthy clientele. It is on her search that all efforts of young fashion designers are aimed. What is a clothing showroom? This is a showroom. Therefore, designers try to make it as famous as possible. Today this is done easily with social media ads. By promoting their services, people want to profitably sell existing goods. But they are in no hurry to sew the next batch. Clothes in showrooms are sold for one narrowly defined segment of society. After all, you cannot sew what everyone likes. Therefore, young designers wait, see who likes their work, and if they are successful, they continue to follow the chosen path, and if they fail, they release a new collection in a different style. Thus, an individual handwriting is developed and a certain circle of clients is recruited.

What is the difference between branded clothing showrooms and little-known designers' showrooms

Of course, the number and status of customers. The brand clothing showroom sells exclusive designer outfits. D&G, Gucci or Valentino don't need advertising. All women of fashion know about them. Clothes from famous designers are a dream for many, so the queue at such showrooms, where you can see and order a dress or suit, is usually scheduled for six months in advance. And often it is impossible for a person to get into them from the street. Brand showrooms do not need new clients. Their main goal is to maintain the respect and recognition of their loyal customers.

But in the showroom of men's clothing or women's dresses from a young designer, the doors are always open. Here people will receive the same warm welcome as in the luxury exhibition halls, although the outfits will not be as famous. Although their quality and style may not be inferior to the works of world couturiers. Indeed, sometimes a young designer can sew one dress for a week or two. Probably needless to say, prices in such showrooms will be much lower than in branded showrooms.

Showrooms on the Internet

Many people are wary of ordering clothes online. This is not surprising, because there is no way to touch it and try it on. How, then, do showrooms for menswear, womenswear and childrenswear work on the Internet? Designers photograph their products from different angles and angles. Moreover, the pictures are sometimes even too detailed. For example, on many dresses, you can see not only all the buttons, but even the lining and inner seams. Many showrooms operate on the principle of online stores. The client can order any item, try it on, and if it does not fit, then send it back. Still, this is not practiced so often. To avoid confusion with sizes, designers sew clothes according to the generally accepted grid. Therefore, a girl, when ordering a dress with 46 on the label, will definitely be sure that it will suit her.

Womens clothing

There are many young talents in our country, whose heads are filled with creative ideas. Many of them create their own showrooms for women's clothing in Moscow. For example, you can highlight XARIZMAS. This is a Russian brand that stands out for the high quality of its clothes. It is difficult to find something pretentious here, but it will not be difficult to pick up classic office-style clothes. This attracts numerous clients.

Candy-store is another showroom where fashionistas from the capital can buy new clothes. It sells things not only of domestic tailoring, but also of foreign production. For example, dresses by Korean and Greek designers.

There are also very unusual showrooms for women's clothing in Moscow. For example, BLESS MY DRESS. Here the girl has the opportunity to completely transform herself, and not just buy a new blouse and shoes. Each client will be offered the services of a stylist, make-up artist and hairdresser, so that her image is completely updated.

Showrooms for menswear

Representatives of the stronger sex do not often go shopping, they simply do not like this activity. Therefore, there are not so many showrooms for men. Mostly they are combined with women. Such a move is quite logical: when seeing off his companion for shopping, a man will be able to look after something for himself. There is more than one showroom in the capital where you can see men's clothing. For example, MFashion. In the showroom you can find clothes of Russian, American and European production. Use me is another metropolitan exhibition area. Here you can choose anything from a business suit to sweatpants. Stylish shoes and accessories will help complement any look.

Baby clothes

Unlike exhibition grounds for adults, special rooms are rarely opened for little fashionistas. Children are often easier to dress in a regular store. After all, it is not known how the child will behave at a party, whether he will be capricious, or, on the contrary, he will be shy. But there are also children's showrooms. A clothing store of this type specializes in wholesales. Here, eminent stores buy goods, as well as stores that specialize in the sale of exclusive items.

You can find a showroom for schoolchildren, but as a rule, children don't like spending time in such a place. They do not get pleasure from beautiful things, and even more so they do not appreciate the exclusivity of their outfit. Therefore, showrooms for children's clothing are popular only with wholesalers and mothers who have too much free time.

Outerwear

On such sites, non-trivial models of fur coats, jackets and coats are exhibited. Expensive fur products are not affordable for everyone, therefore, showrooms with outerwear are often closed. Not all designers and sellers want fur coats and jackets to be touched and seen by people who simply cannot buy them. Moreover, exclusive models may not become so exclusive if there is a lot of traffic in the store. Therefore, fur clothes are kept under good protection, away from prying eyes. The same goes for leather goods. It is one thing - an ordinary biker jacket, of which there are a lot in any shopping center, and another thing - a product of a unique cut, sewn from different materials. In one designer jacket, leather, suede, and even drape can coexist.

Outerwear showrooms are rarely set up in an ordinary apartment. More often, a separate room is rented for them, where it will be possible to observe the storage conditions that must be created for the fur so that it is better preserved and so that moths do not start in it.

What other showrooms are there

Exhibition areas are created for different purposes. Most often, they show clothes and sell them to customers. But sometimes a designer is forced to open a showroom for status. Even if he is doing well and selling well online, he will have more customer confidence if he opens a real store.

A fashion showroom can showcase anything. This can be evening wear, casual wear, and even tracksuits. Many girls find pleasure in walking around the exhibition grounds. In this way, they spend their leisure time and experience beauty. After all, often young designers in their studios hold various social events, which are attended by representatives of creative professions.

Showrooms can also sell accessories. Among them are hair ornaments, jewelry or designer shoes or bags. All these accessories are presented most often in a single copy, and the designer will not repeat them. That is why many women of fashion prefer to dress in showrooms. Indeed, at a secular party, they will not meet a girl dressed in the same dress or holding the same handbag.

A successful business idea always raises a problem and provides a solution. The Western model of showrooms, where manufacturers or designers show their products to wholesale buyers, offering to see everything with their own eyes, touch the fabric, evaluate the model on a human figure, as well as the quality of materials and work, showrooms has been modified by domestic entrepreneurs and has become an interesting option for a fashion store. It combines attractiveness for customers and ease of practical implementation. In fact, this is a boutique, but without significant investments for its creation.

Special features of the showroom

It makes no sense to describe the theory, history of origin and the Western model of showrooms, all these details are not very interesting for a domestic entrepreneur. The main question is with this version of the outlet.

The showroom in Russian style differs from the traditional store in several characteristic features that allow attracting customers:

Clubbing, relative closedness, admission by invitation or agreement. What kind of buyer would refuse to touch the world of exclusivity, exclusivity, uniqueness? Who would neglect the opportunity to purchase a thing that is not replicated in the market and is inaccessible to the majority? This feature of the showroom is a peculiar feature for clients.

Product range. Unlike ordinary shops, in the showroom you can buy a product made by a real brand, high quality and original. In addition, the showrooms offer designer clothes, shoes and accessories from collections with a small number of pieces or custom-made.

Price. The current policy of boutiques and fashion stores is often a disappointment for the shopper. He is offered consumer goods that have absolutely nothing to do with the legendary trademarks, but only mimic them, sewn at best in Chinese provincial factories. And most importantly, if in Yiwu you can buy a decent product "under the brand" with a good level of quality and at the same time cheap, then in our stores it is sold for "bad" money. Showroom gives a person the opportunity to feel like a normal buyer, here he is offered to buy things from the category "not for everyone". These are the latest or limited collections, designer items in a single copy, custom tailoring and the like. Or it is the same products of famous brands, but its quality, identity and affiliation do not raise the slightest doubt, and the price is adequate and almost similar to that which can be seen on labels in Rome or New York.

An atmosphere of customer focus. Of course, today in any store you can try on any item you like, and sometimes sellers even impose service, diligently "selling" the goods. In the showroom, a completely different atmosphere is created, where choice turns into an event, often accompanied by fashion shows, discussions of the latest trends and news from the catwalks.

Entrepreneurs who open their store of any size have one common goal - they want to attract a buyer there. Even thinking up, every businessman is already solving the problem of the competitiveness of his outlet.

The organization of a site for the sale of goods that will be of interest to the client is the basis that, all other things being equal, can give a significant advantage. Of course, you can follow the standard path, open a boutique with mirrored showcases in two human heights, decorate it with the help of famous designers, and create unique mannequins. But ... this requires money, and quite a lot. Moreover, there is no absolute certainty that such efforts and investments will be truly effective. After all, on almost every street in our cities you can find boutiques, shops, supermarkets selling clothes, magnificently decorated, offering wonderful products and inviting customers. Although this "beast" in their squares is an increasingly rare guest.

But showrooms still have potential. How they can attract visitors - options for implementing the idea:

Aggressive emphasis on the principle of "Outsiders V." If someone does not remember the old cartoon, then the hint is "no unauthorized entry" (in Russian). Or, if we go to the original, there is a hint of the expression Trespassers Will Be Shot or "violators will be shot." In a modern domestic showroom, such a position is an opportunity to give the buyer a sense of involvement in high fashion, things that are inaccessible to the mass sector. This is even easier to implement than creating a nail service studio. It is enough to introduce invitations for clients, which will be distributed in limited quantities and in the circle of "friends", visits by appointment, and other conditional barriers, for example, mandatory membership in a group or a club by recommendation.

The selection of the assortment must clearly comply with the principle of exclusivity. No, the mind-boggling high cost is not required here, you need to focus on the budget of your potential buyers. And if they are interested, then they can offer things purchased in outlets at seasonal sales, from last year's and even the year before last collections. However, they must all be of high quality and original. In addition, you need to comply with the position of the outlet where you can buy a thing in a single copy, or, in extreme cases, sell a very limited number of identical products.

Advice: if you order goods from foreign Internet sites, stores and similar outlets through the mail, then adhere to the rule of a duty-free minimum, that is, up to 31 kg and up to 1000 euros per month per individual. Not enough - involve close relatives and friends who can act as recipients, or pay the necessary taxes from exceeding the limits. These data are valid until mid-2017 (it is possible that changes will not be accepted and such rather comfortable conditions will continue in the future).

It is necessary to approach the formation of a product range not only in terms of fashion, exclusivity, quality and other similar parameters, but also profitability for the buyer. Here you should not adopt the practice of the bazaar, where the price is often set according to a reference book "from the ceiling" or is calculated according to the border of one's own greed. And the principle of modern boutiques that set a price tag of 300% in plus for an ordinary thing is completely out of place here. The cost should be as adequate as possible. That is, it should be borne in mind that the client of the showroom can independently purchase a branded shirt or cocktail dress from an Italian fashion house if he takes care of such trifles as ordering and delivery. He might also go to Milan for the weekend shopping. In this case, a small reward for the seller is a payment for the convenience of the buyer.

A showroom is not considered a store, that is, you can start a business without registering the status of a business entity - this advice can be found in various materials on this issue. However, this is still trade and entrepreneurial activity, and obtaining (state registration number) not only does not interfere, but it is highly desirable, or better to say, mandatory. But you can save on renting a room. There are two common options here. In the first, you can use your own apartment, in the second - areas located far from the passage, which is extremely necessary for a boutique. Another version that is gaining popularity lately is special Internet resources that allow you to present your product in the form of a photo collection.

Advice: When converting an apartment into a showroom, do not forget to create a unique atmosphere. Mirrors, fitting rooms, a good floor, a relaxation area with soft poufs and a sofa where you can sit, drink coffee and discuss fashion trends - all these little things "make" business. An interesting approach is to demonstrate products with live models. Shows can be arranged even in an apartment, only a little preparation is needed here. To be honest, equipping a showroom is not easy, it is easier, of course, than, but still more difficult than equipping a standard trading floor. In this case, every detail is important, down to the smallest. Agree, a showroom offering a real fur coat from the latest Michael Kors collection, located in a "Khrushchev" building with a tattered staircase, no elevator, in an apartment on the fifth floor, will look strange.

The product niche of showrooms is not limited to dresses or clothing in general. There are real examples of businesses successfully developing in this direction, where only ladies' shoes, accessories and even motorcycles are presented in the assortment line. The main thing is to find your buyer and be able to convey to him information about the showroom with the original branded product.

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The Russian version of the showroom is a great option for starting a business without serious start-up capital. Here you can get by with minimal money. Obligatory qualities for an entrepreneur who plans to create such a project are the ability to navigate the fashion world, good taste, the presence of acquaintances, willing and able to purchase a product (and almost everyone has such) and organizational skills.

In contact with

3. How to arrange a show room

The idea of \u200b\u200bcreating a showroom - video

Showroom Is one of the most popular trends of our time. And this is not only a profitable business, it is also prestige, an opportunity to demonstrate the most high-tech novelties, elite goods, and to rotate in the upper strata of society. If you are active, sociable, want to climb to the very top of the social pyramid, you should try yourself in this area.

And our site will help you. We will tell you what is a show room, what kind of start-up capital is needed, how and where to choose a room, what kind of decoration is needed, what goods and products are best presented, and most importantly, how to attract customers.

We will also introduce you to a promising showroom option for. You cannot touch the product through the network, but thanks to your showroom, a person will have such an opportunity. And if everything is done correctly, a high income will be guaranteed.

Learn the rules and subtleties of organizing a successful showroom, and very soon the most influential people of the city will shake hands with you.

1. Where does the name of the show room come from and what is it

Literally, this is the English translation of our term "Showroom"... Accordingly, initially such halls were intended for demonstration of clothing models, or were a place for business meetings of designers and manufacturers with wholesale buyers and customers, or buyers from large trading companies or stores. In such showrooms, there was no direct retail sales, but it was here that major deals were made. They were used not only to showcase clothes, but also to present cars, accessories, furniture, and so on.

In modern conditions, the idea of \u200b\u200bwhat a showroom is has changed a little. Most often, they order goods from catalogs of well-known companies, which are then delivered to the customer. Sometimes a collection of a well-known brand is delivered to the showroom for fitting and selling goods to select customers. Therefore, it is almost impossible for an ordinary "person from the street" to get into the showroom, this institution has turned into a kind of "closed club" for the elite.

The owner's profit in this case directly depends on his methods of reaching the target group in which this particular type of goods is in demand - highly fashionable, exclusive and expensive.

2. What is needed to open a show room

To open a showroom / showroom, you need a minimum of material investments:

An example of a showroom in an apartment

You can even start a business in your own apartment. Capital requirements can also vary widely depending on the structure of the job. You can independently travel abroad and purchase goods, and then offer them to customers, or you can conclude an agreement with several "shuttle traders" who will leave their goods for sale. You can also go the traditional way for the West - conclude an agreement with a specific manufacturer and rely on buyers from large shopping centers or groups.

As for social connections, that is, getting to know "party-goers" or "elite", for whom the purchase of exclusive things is not only a hobby, but also a duty, this is one of the main conditions for this type of entrepreneurship.

Recently, another definition of a showroom has appeared. With the development of e-commerce, show rooms began to open at online stores. This is the place where the customer can inspect the selected product (clothing, appliances, electronics, etc.) before purchasing.

3. How to arrange a show room

The design of premises for a certain type of business can be very diverse and depends on the strategy of work. In general, it is necessary to focus on the estimated amount of work, the status of the company and its customers, the amount of the proposed product and its variety.

In the simplest case, this is just a room in your own or rented apartment. But this design method is only suitable if you expect to work with a very narrow circle of acquaintances who easily come to you for a cup of tea. Or, for example, with those clients who only inspect and pick up pre-made orders.

If it is assumed that people will come to the showroom on a recommendation and choose a product, then it is necessary to allocate space for storing and displaying the product, equip a place for fitting or inspection (in the case of equipment, connecting and checking functionality). In this case, you need to choose the style of decoration, drapery, mirrors, furnish the room with stylish accessories.

4. How to register a business - taxation of showrooms

The registration methods are also very diverse. The main advantage that a showroom provides to the aspiring entrepreneur is that it is a place where (officially) no trade.

Due to the fact that he not considered a store (which means that the entrance for ordinary buyers and outsiders is limited inside), often it is just an unregistered boutique or small shop... And work in it is carried out without registration and payment of taxes. ()

Now you know what a showroom is, we gave the most detailed answer to the question "What is a showroom", and also gave examples of how you can make money on it.

5. How to effectively develop your business

Undoubtedly, a showroom, like any other type of business, requires a lot of effort and knowledge for effective development. According to statistics, most aspiring entrepreneurs who take up their own business fail, and only a fraction of businessmen succeed the first time. Perhaps you should be prepared for serious challenges and obstacles at the first stage, or maybe you will be able to develop your business without any problems the first time. Be that as it may, success from the start is possible only if you are well prepared for the case. Read a few books from successful entrepreneurs - publications with secrets of success will definitely help you.

Download this free PDF book

10 secrets rich people are silent about

For your business to thrive, you will need to learn how to effectively attract customers and launch your own website. Nowadays, the Internet allows you to effectively bring customers not only to online sites, but also to offline businesses. Watch the video of specialist Andrey Merkulov on how to do it effectively.

A few decades ago, our compatriots dubiously pronounced words that are currently an integral part of the lexicon. Thanks to the process of globalization, we not only study the culture of other countries through films and musical works, but also have the opportunity to enjoy the landscapes of different continents with our own eyes. The information obtained allows us not only to improve in the sciences, expand our own consciousness and learn more about the world around us, but also borrow from other nations familiar and new objects and concepts for us to change everyday life.

Wide use

One of these words, which has recently become part of the vocabulary of compatriots, is the term "showroom". This concept came to us, like many others, from abroad. It is worth noting that on the territory of the countries that were once part of the great Soviet Union, this word appeared relatively recently - just a few decades ago. In Europe and the countries of America, the concept under consideration has been in use since the moment of widespread market relations. Despite the popularization of the foreign term, many people want to know the answer to the question: what is a showroom? What is it for? In what areas is it used and what are its advantages? The secrets and secrets of the borrowed concept will be revealed in our article.

What is hidden in this word?

Let us begin acquaintance with the term of interest to us with its etymology. If you turn to the help of English dictionaries, you will find out that the showroom is a transcription of the foreign phrase show room. The latter means "showroom or showroom" in translation. We can say that a showroom is a place where products are displayed in front of the audience. As a rule, this is done for informational purposes. The visitor can get more detailed information about the products he is interested in, as well as place an order for the supply or manufacture of a sample he liked. Yes, it's true: in showrooms, for the most part, only single items of goods are exhibited, designed to attract customers. Products in mass quantities are never presented here. Currently, the most widespread are showrooms for clothing, shoes, cars, furniture, tiles, laminate, plumbing, etc.

Single goods, or "No" mass character!

However, at the moment this word is not used for its intended purpose. Many people, not fully understanding the meaning of the concept in question, unintentionally distort it, using the term for the names of warehouses and stores where the goods are not presented in a single version. Unsurprisingly, many people get confused and can't figure out what a showroom is. Show - "show, demonstrate" room - "room". This is how the concept is literally translated. There is no question of any wholesale or retail trade. "Look, meet and order" - this is the principle of operation that practically all showrooms in Moscow, London or Los Angeles rely on.

Showroom of the category "Ready-made fashion"

However, there are some exceptions that apply to clothing and footwear showrooms. Initially, in such places, the visitor is given the opportunity not only to see the collections on display and place an order, but also to buy the copy he likes. An exception is made to the clothing showroom in the "ready-to-wear" category. As mentioned above, the samples shown in the showroom can be ordered. However, an interesting fact is that the time for making the selected copy is strictly regulated. This parameter is determined in accordance with the global schedule of companies offering exclusive products. Custom-made clothes or shoes are sewn twice a year, or at most every quarter.

Placement of exhibition halls

Some showrooms or Madrid are located directly at factories or factories. Sometimes showrooms are distribution rooms. In order to improve and facilitate the work of their potential wholesale customers, many companies open showrooms in the most profitable cities in the world. At the same time, not only the financial capabilities of consumers are taken into account, but also the territory of brand distribution, recognition and its deeper introduction to the masses. For wholesale customers, showrooms are an excellent opportunity to get acquainted with the assortment of products and, taking into account the specifics of the sales market, order selected goods. For retail buyers, showrooms are a convenient option for purchasing good quality wardrobe items at wholesale prices. This, of course, is not a characteristic feature of every showroom, but many Italian distributors give their customers this opportunity. You can buy clothes, shoes and accessories at low prices after the end of the wholesale purchase campaigns. It should be noted that in this case, most of the copies will be of only one, the most common size. As a rule, for clothes it is 42nd, and for shoes it is 37th.

Differences from a boutique

Showrooms in Moscow are quite common. Among them are showrooms for furniture, building and cladding materials, engineering innovations and automobiles. Of course, there are also distributors of world famous brands of clothing in the capital. Those who wish can order awesome exclusive items from new collections or purchase their favorite versions of the previous season. However, one should not equate a showroom with a boutique, because the second option is characterized by a large number of customers. At the same time, there is no large influx of buyers in the showroom. Here every visitor is welcome, everyone is treated individually. Whether it is a children's, women's or men's showroom - in each of them the client will feel comfortable and absolutely free. It is noteworthy that in every showroom of this kind all buyers are known by sight. It should be noted that some showrooms of exclusive clothes are quite well classified and it is not so easy to get into the "holy of holies" of fashion. To do this, you need to get a recommendation from one of your regular customers.

Comfort for everyone

The considered option of updating the wardrobe is very convenient for famous personalities who are tired of the harassment of the paparazzi. In showrooms, new items from various brand designers are often presented, so it is not surprising that both the style and the quality of the clothes are always at the highest level. The client is given an amazing opportunity to choose a new thing from the most fashionable things at the moment. Agree, this is very convenient. For many people, a visit to the showroom becomes a permanent ritual. After all, it is here that you can buy not just the necessary wardrobe, but also show yourself.

In Moscow, almost every boutique of exclusive clothing has a showroom with it. The showroom is a private, restricted-access room where clients are invited to take a look at the "freshly baked" novelties from famous couturiers. This allows you to keep abreast of changing trends in the fashion world and follow their trends.

Today, in addition to the already well-known exhibition halls for adults, a children's showroom is also gaining popularity. Now parents have an amazing opportunity to purchase an excellent and, more importantly, exclusive wardrobe for their beloved child.

Summarizing the information

A clothing showroom is a place where the attention of visitors is offered products of one, sometimes several brands. At the same time, in this hall, the client has the opportunity not only to examine the goods on display, but also to order the samples of both the present and future collections that he likes.

At the same time, the showroom is an excellent opportunity to become the owner of exclusive clothes immediately (for showrooms of the "ready-made fashion" category) and not to fear for the mass distribution of the acquired novelty.

When the first showrooms appeared, they were covered with mystery and an atmosphere of exclusivity. It was believed that getting into the showroom was not easy and it was very prestigious to have a special invitation.

What does showroom mean

In fact, a showroom is one of the trade formats that allows the most profitable presentation of the promoted product. Most often, clothes, shoes, accessories are exhibited in showrooms. But it is possible to make a showroom of furniture, sanitary ware, gifts.

The showroom does not just have goods on the shelves. There is a whole system of presentation, you can find out about the manufacturer itself, get acquainted with the entire collection, learn the history of the brand.

A showroom differs from a store or a supermarket, first of all, by its atmosphere, the opportunity to spend a long time here, have a cup of coffee, slowly think over a purchase, sitting in a comfortable armchair. The services of showrooms are used by both private buyers and companies to order entire collections, because it is here that they can slowly examine all the components of the collection in detail.

How the word showroom appeared

If we make a direct translation into the English language from which this word came to us, then the showroom is a room for performances. It turns out that the showroom is a room for colorful product presentation shows. However, consultants, as a rule, behave quietly and correctly, giving each visitor an opportunity to get comfortable and take their time.

The first showrooms appeared in Europe and were used to display fabrics. They were mainly visited by wholesale customers, for whom the premises were calculated (large lots, many items in the order, a place to check the paintings).

Visiting showrooms was not open to any passer-by from the street, so this format has become a kind of club for those who value quality and prestige. In modern conditions, one does not have to wait for an invitation to go to the showroom for a dress. However, they also host specialized screenings, theme nights and it is still quite difficult to get an invitation to such an event.

What show rooms are there

Showrooms differ by the manufacturer that is represented in them. Large factories and well-known manufactures that have been working in their field for many years have such formats. On the other hand, a showroom is a convenient format for introducing a young fashion designer who is just starting out and wants to tell about yourself to as many potential buyers as possible.

If the showroom is owned by a large factory, it may be referred to by the old term "showroom". In the last century, such sites were owned by the largest clothing manufacturers in the USSR. There you can select and order collection supplies for your store. Today, large distributors also open showrooms to sell their collections to small stores and retail chains.

Another classification of show rooms according to the subjects presented:

ready-made things;

samples, according to which the collection will be made to order.

In the first, things are bought up directly from the hangers, they can be immediately taken with you or adjusted to the figure (for example, hem pants to length). Secondly, they place an order, and then wait for the ready-made things to be sewn. This is how the atelier shops, focused on piece goods, work. This is how expensive fur coats, wedding dresses, handbags and shoes are made.

How to get to the showroom

Showrooms are of several types:

open to retail customers;

closed to buyers and wholesalers;

available by appointment.

Models often work in showrooms that receive visitors by prior arrangement and are aimed at wholesale buyers, and there is a podium for showing the collection. It is often impossible to get into the showroom of a particular factory in Europe, since it presents its products through distributors in all countries of its presence.

What are the benefits of showrooms

In small showrooms that do not need an arena of specialized retail space, prices may be below market prices. In such places you can find piece goods, brought from Europe or manufactured in an amount of two or three units.

If we talk about small show rooms located in office premises or even in apartments, then a really select audience gathers here, you can negotiate a discount or sew a thing to order. It all depends on the degree of acquaintance with the owner of the showroom. Such mini-stores are not typical for Europe, there are more of them in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic countries.

In large showrooms, the benefit lies in convenient conditions for acquaintance with the collection, the ability to place an order according to individual requirements and a small concession in price, which is created due to the absence of the need to keep a large staff of the showroom.

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What does showroom of clothes mean? How to open a showroom. Business idea benefit analysis

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What is a clothing showroom? This is a room where little-known designers exhibit their own products. Why do they do it, for whom and why, read below. What is a clothing showroom? This is a studio or apartment, which is equipped for demonstrating certain wardrobe items to clients.

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Fashion, creativity and branding, three things you can find in a showroom, let's start by defining what a showroom actually is: a showroom is a space where, in this instance, fashion collections are shown; in this case the fashion cycle becomes extremely relevant, as the showroom will also have to follow the same timings. There are two types of showroom:
Press showroom
This is where the press, stylists, PR professionals and opinion leaders get together! The showroom holds events that can be internal for the brand, or they may be outsourced. They display the current in-store or upcoming offerings to give them more visibility
Sales showroom
The showroom is for buyers to see the collections that will be on sale, after the collections have come out.

Showrooms work with different tools: collections, the lookbook, silhouettes, press releases, open days, special events, and clippings.

Just like the showroom, the work of a fashion stylist in it is very dynamic since they have to adjust to the needs of the brands featured. Innovation and reinvention are key in a showroom, even some guesswork is also involved.

Prepare for the demands of this professional path with our Visual Merchandising and Fashion Stylist diploma course accredited by Complutense University of Madrid.

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Showrooms and the Role of the Fashion Stylist

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Fashion, creativity and branding, three things you can find in a showroom, let's start by defining what a showroom actually is: a showroom is a space where, in this instance, fashion collections are shown; in this case the fashion cycle becomes extremely relevant, as the showroom will also have to follow the same timings.

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What is a Showroom? | Italian E-Learning Fashion School

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In fashion industry people often speak about “showrooms”. So what is showroom? People say that in showrooms you can buy things at low prices and order collections for shops. Sometimes showrooms are mentioned as a sort of private spaces, where only special people are allowed and where fashion shows t…

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US Library of Congress

A Short History of the Garment Industry

For most of human history, clothing has been handmade. Even today, while textile production is fully automated, garments are sewn and pieced together by human hands on sewing machines.

The production of textiles was a complicated and time consuming affair before Industrial Revolution. Raw materials such as wool, flax, and cotton needed to be spun by hand into yarn or thread. Weavers created fabrics at home or in small workshops on looms.

Before the proliferation of ready-to-wear clothing, each garment was made individually. Even after the Industrial Revolution, up into the early part of the 20th century a dress, for example, was made for the person who would wear it. People in the lower classes, servants and the like often wore hand-me-downs or purchased used clothing.

Though ready-to-wear apparel has been available for a long time, the ability to walk into a store, pluck a garment off a rack, or order it online is a relatively new concept.

In the not too distant past, a garment would last for a very long time. Today, we purchase an item of clothing, wear it a few times, and toss it. The creation, production, and distribution of clothing is the largest manufacturing business in the world.

wikimedia commons; public domain

Ready to Wear in the Old Days

Archeological records show that merchants in Ancient Babylonia shipped and distributed some ready-to-wear garments as early as 1400 BCE (BC). In Ancient Rome, garments were produced in workshops of up to 100 workers to outfit the military.

Before 1300 CE (AD) people did not wear fitted garments. Middle Eastern people wore loose, flowing robes. Medieval Europeans wore linen under-tunics and wool top tunics made of such durable fabric that a garment lasted a lifetime. Women spun wool into thread and weavers, generally men, wove fabric in home workshops.

After 1350, clothing became more form fitting. A small ready-to-wear industry soon began to produce shirt accessories such as detachable sleeves and collars, as well as gloves, and hats. By the second half of the 16th century, gloves, stockings, collars, and hats were imported and exported in bulk quantities.

Before the Industrial Revolution, most textile and garment production existed on a small scale in home home workshops called cottage industries. Merchants dropped off raw materials to the workers' homes where production relied on self-pacing and included low and highly skilled work.

The Industrial Revolution

In 1738 Lewis Paul and John Wyatt of England invented the Roller Spinning machine which spun cotton into thread. By 1764 a multi-spool spinning wheel was able to spin thread more quickly than ever before. The Water Frame was invented by Richard Arkwright in 1770 produced stronger threads and was powered by water. It was the Water Frame that made it possible to move textile production from the cottage to a factory like setting.

The Power Loom, patented in 1784 by Edmund Cartwright wove threads into cloth on a machine. As later improvements increased speed and efficiency, women began to replace the men who were formerly weavers. By 1880 there were 250,000 cotton power looms in Britain.

The first merchant ship to fly the fledgling United States flag exported ginseng and imported hats, men's breeches, and gloves. By the late 1700s Bristol England was home to over 200 businesses that exported hates, gloves, drawers, pants, stockings, shirts, jackets, and footwear.

Early in the 19th century some large scale apparel production still relied on hand sewing for piece work. In 1835, a New York company advertised for 800 tailors, and 1200 plain sewers.

The invention of steam powered machines for producing textiles and clothing drew the ire of frightened craftspeople. In England and France angry tailors and weavers who saw the machinery as a threat to their livelihood stormed factories and wrecked the machinery. Textile and garment work became fast paced and dependent on the large amounts of capital that it took to purchase machinery and physical plants. Workers lost their individuality, independence, and society's reliance on their skills.They were no longer crafts people but employees, just cogs in the wheel.

Harper's 1861; wikimedia commons; pubic domain

Victorian Garment Industry

By the 1880s large mills and factories produced fabric and garments including over coats, petticoats, shirts, trousers, gloves, hats, and footwear. The mills and factories of the Victorian era offered grueling work at poverty wages. The air filled with floating fibers that caused respiratory problems for the workers. Dim lighting ruined eyesight, and toxic dyes poisoned workers.

Women and children worked 12 hour days. During busy seasons, work hours could extend to 20 hours a day. Children who fell asleep at their work were beaten or fined. Low wages kept workers poorly nourished living on tea, bread, butter, and cheese with only occasional scraps of meat.

In England, lawmakers enacted early labor standards in 1833. The new child labor laws mandated an 8 hour work day for 9 year olds. Younger children were no longer allowed to work in mills or factories.

The invention of the sewing machine by Elias Howe in 1846 allowed workers to piece garments together quickly. Though many attempts were made and many types of sewing machines were produced, Elias Howe was credited for basic design. Along with marketing by business savvy Isaac Singer, Howe's invention changed the garment trade forever. (Later, Singer was to introduce the home sewing machine, advertised to help women save money on domestic help).

Despite the proliferation of ready-to-wear garment factories, may items of clothing were still handmade, tailored for the wearer. Wealthy and upper middle class women took samples of fashion illustrations to a seamstress. After the selection of the fabric, the seamstress would adopt the garment design to the customer's measurements.

High end fashions were often copied by the middle class. My own great aunt would visit a couture clothing shop to try on garments. If she liked a dress, she turned it inside out, carefully studied the pattern then copied it at home.

In the late 19th century, the department store introduced the idea of consolidating large amounts of mass produced goods for public consumption. Huge, beautifully constructed buildings offered restaurants and tea rooms as well as consumer goods.

By the early 20th century department stores began to feature knock-offs. In 1902 Marshall Fields' offered copied couture dresses for $25.00 ($621.00 at today's prices) compared to $75.00 ($1864.00 at today's prices) for the upscale version.

Department store advertising fed the public's awareness of new styles creating a demand for new looks. Where pre-industrial designs lasted for years, now new fashions appeared every season.

Garment Industry in the US Early 20th Century

In the United States at the turn of the 20th century mills and factory conditions earned the attention of progressives. Attempts to unionize erupted in violence and workers' strikes were seen as being influenced by socialists.

Much of the work done in factories and mills as well as the piecework performed in apartments was done by immigrant women and children.

Dangerous work shops and low pay were brought to the forefront when the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire erupted on March 25, 1911. Young workers had been locked in and were unable to escape the inferno. As the fire spread, 62 girls jumped to their deaths, some holding hands, driven mad by the heat. 146 workers were killed that day, the youngest two were only 14. Fire hoses and ladders were not tall enough to reach the blaze. The fire nets were not strong enough to contain the falling bodies. The tragedy drew the attention of the public. 400,000 people lined the streets to pay respects to the lost young workers. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire drove a new public awareness and led to workplace safety and labor regulations.

Garment Industry in the US Mid 20th Century

In the 1930s, women's fashion magazines often presented illustrations for clothing patterns. Many women still made their own clothes at home.

Near the end of the Great Depression the Roosevelt Administration created a project to standardize women's measurements. From July 1939 - June 1940 American women were measured in order to formulate average sizing. This would save on alterations and cut down on store returns increasing the sales of ready-to-wear apparel.

As mass production increased, the style of clothing became more simplified. In order to offer more affordable apparel, the amount of fabric and embellishments used in clothing construction decreased. Still, garments were generally well made and could last for years. Wide seam allowances made it possible to alter or repair a garment at home.

The mid 20th century brought an overall rise in US wages and a growth of the middle class. As purchasing power increased people began to buy more articles of clothing. The US, particularly New York City, was a hub of garment manufacturing and distribution. In 1965, 95% of American's clothing was made in the the US.

Apparel was produced by small, independent firms. As late as 1990 the United States was home to over 12,000 independent clothing manufacturers. In 1996, the US textile industry employed 624,000 people. (Today it is only 120,000)

Large corporations increased advertizing budgets to induce shoppers to spend. Large retailers sought customers by introducing new lines more frequently. The new simpler clothing designs and new miracle fabrics made apparel easier and cheaper to produce.

Ready-to-Wear in the 21st Century

Today, 40% of all fabric fiber produced is polyester which is basically plastic. Fabrics have become thinner and less durable than in the past. Even brand names have reduced quality to compete with large retail chains.

While retail stores once introduced new lines four times a year (for each season) many chains now bring in new designs every two weeks. H & M and Forever 21 see incoming shipments of new styles nearly every day. Forever 21 can create a style from design concept to the rack in 6 weeks; H & M in 8 weeks.

Over consumption is today's hottest fashion trend. Where once a garment lasted for years, women think nothing of wearing a piece of clothing 2 or 3 times. Our closets have grown to hold vast clothing collections. While mid 20th century homes offered small closets, today's new homes feature walk-in closets the size of a small room.

The World Bank estimates that the processing and production of textiles accounts for 20% of global water pollution as well as 10% of global carbon emissions.

US Garment Business Moves Overseas

In the not so distant past trade barriers regulated garment imports and bolstered the US apparel business. In the 1990s deregulation made the import of cheap apparel from developing countries more advantageous for the garment industry. Thousands of US garment and textile workers lost their jobs when NAFTA encouraged the industry to move operations from Los Angeles to Mexico. US wages were pushed down to compete.

Garment and textile factories popped up in China and Bangladesh where labor was cheap. Unregulated producers were free to pollute the air and discharge chemicals into the waterways. Workers had little protection, enduring long hours, low pay, and abuse.

In 2009 a Federal judge ruled that Walmart was not responsible for the terrible conditions that overseas factory workers endured, declaring that the foreign workers were not actually Walmart employees.

Dismal conditions in foreign countries began to mimic the deplorable conditions of Victorian England. The plight of these workers was brought to a head in April 2013 when a factory in Dhaka Bangladesh collapsed and killed 1129 workers.

Sources

Overdressed - The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion, by Elizabeth L. Cline; Penguin; New York; 2012

Ready-to-Wear; Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion; Edited by Valerie Steele; Charles Scribner's Sons; 2005

Victorian Women: A Documentary Account of Women's Lives in 19th Century England, France, and the United States; Edited by Hillerstew, Hume, and Offen; Standford University Press; CA; 1981

Women's Measurements for Garment and Pattern Construction; US Dept. of Agriculture Publication #454; Bureau of Home Economics

World Textiles : A Concise History by Mary Schoeser; Thames Hudson 2003

Triangle: The Fire That Changed America by David Von Drehle;Atlantic Monthly Press; New York; 2003

How Much Do Our Wardrobes Cost to the Environment; World Bank Sept. 23, 2019

Questions & Answers

Question: Do you have any information about male sizing systems of the early ready-to-wear-industry in the 19th century?

Answer: Ready to wear garments were introduced for the military. During the American Civil War measurements were taken of men in order to gauge averages to create ready to wear garments.The development of the sewing machine made mass production common. By the 1870s commercially produced paper garment pattern became common. Off the rack clothing is cheaper to produce than custom so the new method became a popular way for men without great means to dress. For in depth information on this topic, read "Sizing in Clothing Developing effective Sizing Systems for Read to Wear Clothing," edited by S.P. Ashdown from Woodhead Publishing. Chapters are written by a number of authors.
© 2014 Dolores Monet
Dolores Monet (author) from East Coast, United States on October 07, 2019:

Hi Marlene - learning the old fashioned way, one book at a time is best. An article is a fine introduction to a topic but for deeper information there is nothing like taking to the books, and lots of them. Thank you for the comment.

Marlene Franklin on October 06, 2019:

As a Fashion Design student who attended the Illinois Institute of Art, Chicago (Merchandise Mart), I wish I had the information presented here for my homework. I learned the old fashioned way, one book at a time. Good job and priceless information. Thanks.

Dolores Monet (author) from East Coast, United States on June 02, 2019:

Hi Deborah - I knew some women who could beautifully sew fitted, tailored garments. In the late 1960s and into the 70's, there were fabric discount shops where you could get great bargains on fabric. I used to make robes and peasant style blouses as well as a dress or two. Today, it's cheaper to buy at thrift stores. But when you love to sew, there is always quilting! I make pillow covers and cushion covers - they are simple. Thanks!

Deborah Guedri on June 01, 2019:

My wonderful mother taught me to sew when I was eight. I loved it immediately. Eventually I learned to make all my clothes, even using the designer patterns. Later I got a little chubby and the patterns didn't fit me anymore. It seemed that clothes were cheaper to buy than to make. (So, I started quilting.) This is a great article and I especially enjoyed the union commercial. Thanks so much!

Dolores Monet (author) from East Coast, United States on July 21, 2014:

suzettenaples - thank you for sharing your story and comments! Though I do sew occasionally, I am not up to make any kind of complicated garment and pretty much stick to simple things like curtains and bags.

Suzette Walker from Taos, NM on July 15, 2014:

What an interesting article! I enjoyed reading this. I love clothing but have cut way back on what I buy today. You are correct in saying we wear something two or three times and then throw it away. I have stopped doing that. I worked at Chico's in Naples, FL and what a hoot that was. New clothes came in daily and they were constantly chucking the 'old clothes' after about two weeks. Incredible!

I really identified with this article. My grandmother worked at McGregor's shirt factory during the 30's 40's 50's and 60's. She sewed the sleeves into the shoulder of the shirt. I was able to watch her at work one day and I couldn't believe the speed at which she did this. Needless to say, I learned how to sew growing up. My mom sewed too and showed my sister and I how to sew. But, she made it so darn unpleasant that to this day I hate to sew anything. I had to sew perfectly straight seams or I had to rip them out. Sew and rip was not my idea of fun or of creating an outfit. But, at least I can sew a button on a shirt. LOL! I remember in NYC in the 60;s seeing the garment district and the guys running the rack of clothes along the sidewalk. The designers clothing would whoosh by the cars on the street. I couldn't imagine how they stayed clean.

I finally learned how to spin sheep's wool into yarn a few years ago. Actually, that is a soothing and fun thing to do and I learned how to weave rugs on a loom. I can't imagine doing that all the time to create cotton or linen to make clothing out of. But, again, at least I know how to do it. But, this is why I have such an interest in clothing and fashion. I really do know how to do it from the sheep's wool to the clothing rack in the store. It is one of the few talents I have literally from the bottom to the top of then selling the product. But, it makes me appreciate clothing and how it is made (and sometimes not made so well). Thanks for such an interesting article! Voted up and shared.

Hendrika from Pretoria, South Africa on February 28, 2014:

Dolores - I agree with you, to the States standards we were definitely not cool. To tell you the truth we did not even know about "cool" You must remember I grew up in the Apartheid era and the government decided for us what we must see, what we must listen, what we may read etc.

I can promise you today's standards in South Africa I would have been "cool" wearing all the "cool" labels, that is the point, even though we did not know the word "cool" it was cool to make your own clothes. I was very popular with the 'in" crowd and I had the boys standing in a long row for me!

We might as well have lived on another planet. We were kept in the dark as much as possible and it was only the "undesirables" that new a little more

Dolores Monet (author) from East Coast, United States on February 27, 2014:

Hendrika - I encountered brand awareness for the first time in the 9th grade. You just had to have a certain brand of dress, I can't even recall the brand. If you did not, you were just not cool. When I was a little girl in the 60's, my Barbies had handmade dresses. This woman made them and sold them and they were awesome. Even then I recognized that the styles were hot, the fabrics natural. Our Barbies had originals!

Hendrika from Pretoria, South Africa on February 25, 2014:

It is interesting to see how things moved. In my youth, during the 50's and 60's making our own clothes was very fashionable in South Africa. You were actually ashamed to buy anything you could make yourself. This was long before brand awareness in South Africa and it was the biggest disaster EVER to see someone with the same dress than yours.

Shops also did not have row upon row of the same garment. A shop would only have one of a kind and it was really very rare to meet someone with the same dress. Even so, making your own was seen as a very good way of avoiding such an embarrassment.

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Ready-to-Wear: A Short History of the Garment Industry

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For most of human history, clothing has been handmade. Even today, while textile production is fully automated, garments are sewn and pieced together by human hands on sewing machines. The production of textiles was a complicated and time consuming affair before Industrial Revolution.

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It is safe to say that the global pandemic outbreak has fuelled a dramatic shift towards digital solutions within the fashion industry. Since COVID-19 hit, brands and retailers worldwide have been engaging and experimenting with a range of immersive technologies, from designing apparel virtually to hosting virtual catwalks and experimenting with virtual showrooms. Mass quarantine has become a pivotal moment for fashion companies to redefine their business models and work together towards building a more sustainable, progressive future.

Market leader for fashion solutions, Pixelpool seeks to empower the industry by offering agile, sustainable, and cost-effective digital solutions through its range of services. Working with key brands including Nike, Calvin Klein and Guess, it's latest innovation, Dtail, is a cloud-based, virtual merchandising and sales platform that offers brands tools to digitise different workflow areas. An asset for any brand, Dtail lets brands and retailers plan and visualise their collections by linking product data to 3D virtual samples. Consisting of two parts, the web platform, which stores the data and 3D assets, and the 3D showroom, Dtail syncs data and 3D assets to the virtual showroom. This fully customisable virtual environment streamlines the visual merchandising and B2B processes at the same time.

Dtail can be used to plan visually, balance, and present assortments by creating a clear, visual overview of assortments using sketches, photos, and 3D virtual samples. The Dtail Product Catalogue offers a wide range of generic 3D samples in its extensive library which can be pulled by the retailer and customised through the integrated design library, which features a user-friendly interface. Alternatively, brands can import their own 3D assets using their preferred 3D software and store them on the platform. The use of virtual samples drastically reduces the need for physical samples, becoming a sustainable and cost-saving solution.

"The Dtail web platform allows fashion brands to plan and assort their collections visually," explains Cas van Lier, Marketing and Communications Specialist at PixelPool. "The interactive platform serves as a library for their virtual samples, offers them a blank canvas to drag, drop, and filter their collections with, giving brands the tool to form their ideal assortments. Which are then synchronised with our virtual showroom."

Retailers can adjust and redefine the assortment with additional marketing, POS materials and notes. The virtual samples can also be linked to existing product data and used in the Dtail assortment planner and virtual showroom. As the entire assortment is saved on a single platform, the data from the web platform can be used to virtually present, segment and present products in an interactive presentation. Retailers can digitally create grids to assess balance and work towards creating a presentation in a fully merchandised, realistic virtual store environment.

Dtail's Virtual Showroom offers a real-time, very realistic 3D environment of the retailer's store or showroom. All digital fixtures can be fully configured so that the web platform's assortments can be digitally merchandised in a realistic store environment. Retailers are given full control over the position of fixtures on the store floor to build real-life layouts. After the fixtures have been placed in the correct location, they can be digitally merchandised individually with products from the assortments stored on the web platform.

Thanks to the easy userface, products can be dragged from the library directly onto the fixture and automatically format to the most appropriate display form. Through one simple click, products can be swapped, repositioned and removed. Once the virtual showroom is complete, the data is then linked back to the assortment for analytics and data visualisations. Dtail's platform can also be configured to reflect up to date, synchronised product data from a PLM or ERP system. Brands can request and track updates from their 3D library and immediately put newly added virtual samples to use in all the apps in the Dtail platform.

"The virtual showroom serves as a selling, merchandising, and test platform for all brands' virtual collections," adds van, Lier. "It allows brands to sell to their accounts in the highest quality, interactive 3D, communicate ideas internally, and test merchandising set-ups for all physical stores. "

An end-to-end solution that replaces the use of spreadsheets, charts and other common 2D and offline practices, the platform ensures retailers work more efficiently, from assortment planning through to merchandising and B2B sales. Dtail allows brands to completely move away from their physical going-to-market processes and switch to digital, thus speeding up the process by skipping sampling rounds and allowing them to assort, merchandise and present in life-like interactive 3D.

www.pixelpool.com
Pixelpool is a market leader in developing digital solutions for the apparel retail industry. With over twenty years' experience in the area of 3D visualisation, having worked with some of the biggest footwear giants and luxury fashion brands throughout those years, Pixelpool empowers the fashion industry, making brands more agile, sustainable and cost-effective through virtual technology and retail solutions. Dtail is the most recent innovation by Pixelpool. This game-changing platform will allow brands to future proof their business and be a cornerstone of their sustainability objectives. PixelPool is headquartered in the Netherlands and has four offices operating in Europe and the US, allowing it to be a strategic partner to brands around the world.

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Digitising the fashion industry's workflow for the future

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It is safe to say that the global pandemic outbreak has fuelled a dramatic shift towards digital solutions within the fashion industry. Since COVID-19 hit, brands and retailers worldwide have been engaging and experimenting with a range of immersive technologies, from designing apparel virtually to hosting virtual catwalks and experimenting with virtual showrooms. Mass quarantine has become a pivotal moment for fashion companies to redefine their business models and work together towards building a more sustainable, progressive future.

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Back in January, the Copenhagen trade show CIFF introduced its first digital showroom. The initiative received little fanfare at the time, but as the unfolding pandemic crisis has halted the global fashion industry's events, the concept of the digital showroom may just about save the season.

In partnership with online showroom Ordre, CIFF created both a digital and physical presence allowing participating brands the possibility to engage with buyers and retailers unable to travel and attend the fair. For brands dependent on wholesale, digital showrooms be turn out to be the new normal.

Ordre was founded as an additional and complementary channel to facilitate the management of luxury wholesale networks globally, but it may soon be the dominant channel as global fashion weeks are being postponed or cancelled, leaving brands with wide distribution networks and those hoping to penetrate new markets scrambling to reach buyers.

While digital showrooms solve the problem of visibility, they don't compensate for disrupted supply chains, closed factories and the web of businesses and individuals needed to produce clothing collections and prototypes. Nor does it solve the difficult task of shooting look books with strict social distancing rules enforced. Without physical garments and images, it is nigh on impossible to sell collections. Or is it?

Digital-only collections

The Fabricant, an Amsterdam-based digital fashion house, produces digital-only clothing, creating augmented reality solutions and products as a marketing tool for fashion brands. It may soon prove to be an indispensable sales tool, too, with factories closed for prototyping and global travel embargoes keeping buyers and retailers at home. Virtual samples may be the new normal, which from a practical viewpoint is less costly and easier to execute, when dependent on fabric and trim suppliers and factories with a back-log of order productions. With canceled fashion weeks, showrooms are expecting a drop in retailer attendance, leaving many brands to cut budget forecasts and look for novel possibilities to sell.

The question, of course, is will retailers buy into the concept of the digital showroom as a primary means to see collections? Without the ability to touch garments, to physically see the cut of the cloth on the body, how fabric responds to movement, how various garments can be curated together as looks and, perhaps most importantly, how the quality is executed, shows the inherent drawbacks of digital fashion. As is so often the case, the value of what is intangible is difficult to define. In an ideal world, the physical and digital realms complement each other, augmenting sales and personalising experiences. For certain, a digital wholesale platform can be a significant refresh for a buyer who has been to four international fashion weeks and seen countless of collections.

Like most industries, fashion will have to work through new processes and solutions for the upcoming season, which will still be heavily clouded by the pandemic crisis. For some, digital showrooms may be just be the tool to survival.

Images via The Fabricant

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Will digital showrooms save fashion's wholesale brands?

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Back in January, the Copenhagen trade show CIFF introduced its first digital showroom. The initiative received little fanfare at the time, but as the unfolding pandemic crisis has halted the global fashion industry's events, the concept of the digital showroom may just about save the season.

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Hugo Boss has launched its first digital showroom in Berlin, Germany, marking a shift in the company's strategy.

The German fashion brand presented its Hugo pre-fall collection for 2018 at a pop-up space in Berlin to showcase its digital showroom last week. Via a 65 inch touchscreen, which resembles a table, viewers were able to browse through the entire collection, go through numerous colour and combination options and directly order pieces from the collection.

Specially developed for Hugo Boss, the dedicated application was developed in a short period of time using the 'scrum method' - a technique which uses a form of agile project management to enable the rapid visualization of solutions for complex issues within a flexible framework.

The launch of the digital showroom signals a change in Hugo Boss order system - from now on the German fashion brand will no longer prepare complete collections of physical samples for its order phase. The collection, including the entire range of available colours and combinations options, will be offered to customers exclusively in digital form.

Hugo Boss aims to roll out its digital showroom to its global market in 2018 following its launch in Berlin.

Photos: Courtesy of Hugo Boss

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Hugo Boss launches first digital showroom

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Hugo Boss has launched its first digital showroom in Berlin, Germany, marking a shift in the company's strategy. The German fashion brand presented its Hugo pre-fall collection for 2018 at a pop-up space in Berlin to showcase its digital showroom last week.

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Leading zipper and fastening products manufacturer YKK has launched a digital showroom to engage virtually with its customers around the world on the latest trends, products and innovations.

The easy-to-navigate online showroom has been modelled to look like YKK's brick-and-mortar showroom in London and features six floors which are represented in the showroom's logo that also looks like a zipper.

Each 'floor' features a different theme, covering the latest trends and automotive, sustainable products, everything YKK offers for fashion and apparel, a separate section dedicated to high-function applications like outdoor, backpacks, water protective, and luggage, alongside company information.

As well as providing product information, YKK aims for the digital showroom to be an incubator for innovation and creative design and plans to host webinars and other learning opportunities.

"We launched the YKK Digital Showroom with the aim of connecting with our customers more than ever before," explains Hiroaki Otani, president of YKK Corporation. "We hope that our customers will make use of it in conjunction with our face-to-face communication. To ensure that more customers around the world adopt YKK products, we will continue to promote digitalisation in the value chain, including marketing, product planning and development, manufacturing, and sales, in pursuit of greater customer satisfaction."

YKK connects with customers with an innovative virtual showroom

The showroom tour starts on the ground floor - 'Trend and Connect' where YKK highlights the latest trends, which will be updated twice a year, alongside a garage featuring automobiles rendered with 3D computer graphics demonstrating YKK products. There will also be a searchable library of all YKK products in the showroom launching in the coming months.

The ground floor also offers online meeting space for European and American customers to connect directly with YKK.

Scroll down to B1 and learn about YKK's Sustainability Vision 2050 and view its eco-friendly products, presented thematically, with showcases on bio-based, water savings and recycled products. There is also a quick 'product index' reference that allows you to compare all the products.

B2 'Outdoor' is all about high performance - view water protective solutions such as Aquaseal®, Proseal®, and Flexseal® zippers, as well as the latest innovations for sports, outdoor, backpack, and luggage applications.

For fashion and apparel needs, B3 features plenty of style and variation for ready-to-wear, jeans, baby and kidswear, as well as leather applications.

There is also a floor for region-specific items, which will be coming soon, which will showcase collections for Europe, the US and Japan.

Each themed floor gives customers the chance to view products through close-up photos, video, and catalogues, as well as meet online with YKK representatives, who will be happy to answer questions and help you solve design issues.

For customers wishing to find out more about YKK, the company's history and innovations of the zip, head to the YKK Gallery on B5. This floor also houses the theatre with YKK's three short animations about the "importance of connections" currently available to watch. More events are planned for the future, including an online trade show, a virtual fashion show and a series of webinars.

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YKK launches new digital showroom to connect with customers

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Leading zipper and fastening products manufacturer YKK has launched a digital showroom to engage virtually with its customers around the world on the latest trends, products and innovations. The easy-to-navigate online showroom has been modelled to look like YKK's brick-and-mortar showroom in London and features six floors which are represented in the showroom's logo that also looks like a zipper.

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The luxury fashion industry has been pressured to adapt to the digital age for some time now. VOCAST supports hundreds of brands by setting up their digital showroom, but the current COVID-19 pandemic might just have created the ideal circumstances for a long awaited innovation boost. Now that the physical aspect of the shopping experience is indefinitely suspended, fashion brands can take the opportunity to re-imagine it within a digital-only space. Here are some best practices pushing the industry forward.

In a bid to stress the environmental impact of photoshoots in the fashion industry, Vogue Italia printed its January 2020 issue with illustrations only. In his editor's letter, Emanuele Farneti mentioned how the photo production of the magazine's hefty September issue had involved 150 people, taking about 20 flights and more than a dozen train rides, having 40 cars on the ready, 60 international deliveries, catering services etc.

The move didn't go without criticism, with the replacement of photoshoots by illustrations being a one-off initiative. Even though "Vogue started as an illustrated magazine", Vogue Italia's Creative Director Ferdinando Verderi reminded us on the magazine's website. The first issue was drawn under the creative direction of Harry McVikar in December 1892. Not that drawing should now replace photography alltogether, but Verderi believes there's value in looking back to move forward: "It can be an old solution to a new problem, or just open the door to more creative ways of challenging our production process."

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated that need for the fashion industry to challenge their production processes. "Many luxury brands have their warehouses and production centred in Italy. This has definitely impacted their supply system, forcing them to rethink how they work", says Sophie Dewaele, a London-based luxury fashion Digital Communication Manager with experience working for brands like Alexander McQueen.

In response to the pandemic, global fashion weeks including New York, London, Paris and Milan have been cancelled. With productivity in the fashion industry feared to decrease due to stores closing, buyers being skeptical about stock purchases and struggling factories, the urgency of digitalisation becomes clear. But, as we recently wrote , these circumstances could lead to positive change rather than crush creativity.

"These are exceptional times where we all find ourselves in our rooms thinking about what we've done to the planet", Sophie continues. "What are we even running around for? Do we really need collections counting dozens of different looks twice a year? Travel halfway across the world for a ten minute fashion show? These designers are now locked in, thinking about how they can continue to express themselves without overdoing it. How can we share their voice? We all need to strip back."

That doesn't mean we all need to literally go back to the drawing table and return to illustrated content only. "Sure enough, cancelled flights and the inability to move entire teams across the globe have affected photoshoots and events. Meanwhile, social distancing measures actually have made a thriving business out of photographers or videographers living under the same roof as models", explains Sophie. "Add a makeup artist to the household and you've really got yourself a deal." If it was up to Tommy Hilfiger however, there wouldn't be a need for illustrations or photoshoots in the first place. Way ahead of the COVID-19 crisis, the American label completely rethought its design processes. From sketching to sampling and showrooming: it will all be done with 3D design only by 2021, the brand vowed. A cost-saving approach for the planet as well as the brand's budget. The global apparel company PVH Corp. encompassing brands like Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, spent two years developing its digital library stacked with digital raw materials of fabrics, patterns and colours. The all-digital design and production process will rely on that digital library.

Thanks to this, Tommy Hilfiger will be able to design an astonishing 60,000 product options fully in 3D, writes Vogue Business . Moreover, because the designs are digital from the start, "there is no need to photograph it", CEO of Tommy Hilfiger Global and PVH Europe Daniel Grieder explained to the online fashion business magazine. "It is all there. We can use it for marketing and for the digital showroom. Everything will be possible and much faster."

One of those possibilities is the use of online avatars in the digital showroom to be dressed in digital garments. Grieder takes it even further, stating on Vogue Business how the use of artificial intelligence can help train digital models to the likeness of their physical inspiration: "If Gigi Hadid can't model, she will send her avatar to other companies and dress in digital clothes."

"The common mistake of developing the digital realm as an addition to the physical, is brought to light now that the physical aspect has been removed", says Afef Bouchrika, EMEA Marketing and Partner Operations Coordinator at Clarabridge. The company uses AI in helping leading global brands understand customer interactions. "To start with, a digital showroom should be able to fully replace the classic version we are used to. We can then build on that basis with digital-only perks", she continues. "What is typical of a showroom, is that you can address a person in there for advice or information. Take that presence away and you don't have a showroom, but a catalogue."

An option to replace the real shop or showroom assistant in the digital world, is a chatbot. "This can allow users to click through to FAQs, receive discount messaging or add reminders to certain products in the digital showroom", Afef explains. "A chatbot can engage in advice selling when the user has chosen to interact with it. That is how AI can make up for the lack of physical interaction you would normally get in a showroom. Chatbots are made to empathise, offer proactive guidance, remember details, and know when to escalate. Which means that, when the AI lacks the knowledge to help a customer, a real person can take over within that digital space."

The luxury brand Louis Vuitton, part of the French LVMH, offers a nice example of integrating such a chatbot in its app. Through the app, users can access a digital library that acts as a marketing platform which allows for purchases as well. The overarching LVMH is supposedly focusing on the further use of chatbot customer service, visual recognition technology and more to develop customised clothing for the different individual users.

Furthermore, Italian fashion house Gucci makes use of a Facebook-integrated chatbot. The brand has taken its digital strategy further the past years with, for example, AR and VR installations making their 2018 campaign an immersive one in-store. Or their SS17 #TFWGucci collaborative art project which featured their watch collection through memes in the digital space, strengthening their online presence.

Finally, Amazon's Echo Look offers a good example of using AI for fashion-related digital assistance. Through the Alexa voice assistant, users can take full-length photos of their looks and request direct feedback and styling tips.

Another important aspect of the physical showroom is how buyers influence each other through their interaction within that space. In China, e-commerce has rapidly taken over from hitting the high street with friends. There, Pinduoduo is only one example of a startup proving that online shopping doesn't have to be a lonely feat. Huang Zheng, a former engineer at Google, started the company in 2015. The platform has cleverly integrated social media like WeChat, allowing shoppers to share products with their circle.

In an analysis of the new app, Forbes explains how users can create purchase groups and enjoy discounts. To encourage this social shopping experience in the digital space, Pinduoduo also offers cashback incentives and free products to loyal customers. Especially in communities mainly depending on social media like WeChat for information from news to shopping suggestions, this kind of platform works well, the online magazine writes.

This linkage of other digital channels to the digital showroom is an example of the digital-only perks mentioned before. Those can be built on a solid basis that doesn't rely on the existence of a physical counterpart. By allowing for frictionless referral schemes through WeChat with its 79 % penetration in the country, the Chinese third party mobile e-commerce app achieved viral growth. The platform currently counts 585 million annual active buyers and 135 million daily active users. Those numbers are likely to continue rising as improved internet access reaches more remote areas in the country as well.

Big e-commerce fashion player ASOS takes advantage of the digital realm in yet another way by using AI for image recognition. Thanks to its visual search tool, customers can upload images of items or outfits they've come across online or outdoors. The algorithm will then find the exact product if available or suggest similar items. An approach that leads to more product views, return visits and placed orders. With regards to the digital showroom, such an approach could allow users to search for visual assets within specific trends they might be focusing on in their (digital) displays or magazine features.

Another approach helping to enhance the digital experience within the limitations of physical contact, is the incorporation of virtual reality. With the launch of Buy+ in 2016 for example, the Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba allowed customers wearing a VR headset to browse products and try them on through a virtual interface. No need to come in store and change clothes. Users would only have to upload body measurements and photos so virtual models can do the work for them. Moreover, that information can offer brands more insights in customer preferences allowing for more bespoke products and services.

To make up for the cancelled mass events, including international fashion shows, we can look at Dior for inspiration as well. The French fashion house already launched a VR headset in 2015 and back in 2017, the luxury brand organised its 'I Feel Blue' event in Shanghai's West Bund Art Centre: a fashion show completely made up of 3D holograms.

Brands can improve the digital showroom experience by easy additions like more elaborate product and material descriptions with the images. But, as findings recently published in Quartz show, we are 60,000 times faster at processing visual information than text which explains our natural inclination toward visual storytelling. Thanks to so-called 'mirror-neurons' in our brains, when looking at images, we experience the actions and the physical and emotional sensations we link to them through our imagination. It is therefore important to prioritise visual elements when strengthening our digital presence.

Other easy ways of doing so, bearing the previously mentioned insights in mind, are the use of video next to photos, and organising streaming sessions followed by live Q&As allowing customers to still directly interact with the brand. Moreover, to make up for not only the look of the product, but the feel as well, we can learn from online-only interior design brands such as MADE.COM that offer customers free fabric samples to help them decide on their purchases.

But what the aforementioned existing examples prove, is that there is no reason not to think big. The tools and technologies are already there: from AI chatbots, over 3D holograms to virtual reality. Amazon, Apple and Google all offer specific kits that help develop AI skills and build them into apps and platforms, or help create augmented and virtual reality apps. Now, it is just a matter of putting them to good use.

Wided is the Lifestyle Researcher for the Belgian and Dutch markets at VOCAST. She's a Belgian editor and author with a background in journalism. In London, she established a career in digital marketing for fashion and interior design brands. When she's not working or studying for her Master's, you'll find her in front of a canvas, paint brushes in hand.

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The Digital Showroom Boom: Reinventing the Fashion Experience

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The luxury fashion industry has been pressured to adapt to the digital age for some time now. VOCAST supports hundreds of brands by setting up their digital showroom, but the current COVID-19 pandemic might just have created the ideal circumstances for a long awaited innovation boost.

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Make better business decisions

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Video and 360-degree images score high on buyers' wish lists, but storytelling and regional specificities also need to be addressed.

Key takeaways:

Despite the availability of technologies for online buying and digital showrooms, brands were caught unprepared at the end of February, when the Covid-19 outbreak arrived in Europe.

For the upcoming May and June season, buyers hope brands and showrooms will adopt formats similar to e-commerce sites, with high-resolution images, videos, zoom capabilities and detailed product descriptions.

Brands should also be mindful of regional differences, providing clear alternatives to fabrications and silhouettes when needed, and simplify decision making by sticking to bestsellers and established designs.

When cases of Covid-19 started to rise in Milan at the end of February, brands scrambled to put together virtual presentations and sessions for buyers who were deserting the city's showroom appointments, which usually are held at the end of Paris Fashion Week. They will be expected to do the same in May and June, and possibly even September, as Covid-19 continues to jeopardise international travelling and large-scale events.

For the most part, upcoming fashion weeks have been cancelled or postponed, with London Fashion Week being the only major fashion week to stick to its schedule in June, albeit not in person. Following in the footsteps of Shanghai and Tokyo, the London showcase has announced an entirely digital format that merges womenswear and menswear in one gender-neutral platform, open to the general public, trade and press, that will include interviews, podcasts, designer diaries, webinars and digital showrooms. A number of brands will also have pre-collections to present to buyers in May, but it's not clear how these showroom appointments will take place.

"We are trying to get everyone to give us visibility on what they are doing, but brands haven't figured it out and some of them are struggling with samples," says Feda Ghanem, vice president of merchandising at Harvey Nichols Dubai. Adding to the uncertainty of what it's going to be offered and in what format, digital buying in itself remains a new and challenging experience for many.

Ghanem says his team only buys products remotely in special cases, like for continuity products or straightforward items like T-shirts. At Browns, digital buying has been more widely used, especially in cases when the buying team couldn't travel to a specific location, but it's still far from being the norm. "We have been buying virtually from certain brands in the past, but it's very different to do it on a big scale," says Browns buying director Ida Petersson.

While online showrooms and buying systems like Joor, Ordre and NuOrder have been available for years, a large part of the buying experience has continued to happen offline, with buyers zipping from one capital to the other to meet designers and visit showrooms. Brands, for their part, have not always taken full advantage of the technologies available as digital buying has been seen more as an add-on than a necessity. Many brands were caught unprepared by the sudden need to switch to online in March.

"We had brands who only offered sketches and we just had to use our imagination," says Tiffany Hsu, fashion buying director at Mytheresa. Other issues included low-quality video and longer time consumption. The hope is that, with more preparation, brands will be able to offer a full range of tools, like high-quality video, 3D images and zoom-in capabilities, which will make buying online easier and more straightforward as budgets become smaller and stakes higher.

Using technology to the fullest

According to Kristin Savilia, CEO of digital wholesale platform Joor, which includes virtual showroom experience and bulk order management, brands can improve the virtual buying experience by providing samples and materials faster. "The reason [some brands] only had sketches is because they were late with their products and that is not something that we can fix," she says. In March, Joor partnered with Ordre, another digital wholesale platform, to allow brands to upload 360-degree images created through Ordre-owned Orb360 technology on the platform. Savilia says the process takes 48 hours and has already been adjusted for the current travelling bans and lockdowns to allow brands to ship the merchandise to them. (Normally, Orb360 would send its image-capturing mobile technology to the brands.)

The platform has also been taking in suggestions from buyers after Paris Fashion Week, when they saw GMV for digital orders increase 2.5 times higher than average, including the implementation of video, which will be available in the next few weeks. "Seeing the model walk so you can see how the fabric moves and then getting close-ups of the materials is really key," says Petersson. The format many buyers seem to hope for is similar to what general customers can usually access on e-commerce sites: a combination of high-resolution images, video, the ability to zoom in and a detailed product description. "Have images from all angles of good enough quality - that's the least that we expect," says Hsu.

Digital appointments and showrooms also proved to take longer than normal. For Elizabeth von der Goltz, global buying director at Net-a-Porter, the most successful appointments were the ones featuring models trying on the clothes, but they were also time-consuming because of the waiting time between one look and the other. "Using AR or avatars with better digital display will make the pieces clearer and easier to see digitally, and can also remove the need for a model," she writes.

Regional differences, simplified choices and narrative

For Harvey Nichols' Ghanem one of the biggest challenges of buying online will be determining fabric weight, alternative swatches and silhouettes, which are critical for his Middle Eastern clientele. "Sometimes we finish the entire buy and we point to around 20 SKUs that are missing to cater to our market, so we spend time going through swatches and silhouettes and working on the selection physically to come out with alternative solutions," he says. "That is not going to be as practical digitally." He says fabrication is a deal breaker, as is the possibility to adjust size, cover up and sleeves.

To simplify this process, Ghanem suggests brands stick to their established silhouettes and bestsellers, create an edit that is easy to navigate and, for his region specifically, offer a clear view of the alternatives and modifications available. As online retailers divide their products by category, brands should divide their online buying offer by themes, so that buyers can more quickly and easily navigate through the collection. "If I'm talking to a small brand the decision is quite easy because the options are not huge, but when you talk about [a bigger brand] then [the division] becomes critical because you are putting serious volumes on each theme," he says.

Themes could also help brands establish a narrative, which is difficult to create when doing appointments online. Von der Goltz found introductions conducted by the designer particularly helpful, as they allowed her to create a connection with the collection and the fabrics she would have missed otherwise. In the same way, Nelson Mui, merchandising director fashion at Lane Crawford, thinks brands should try to engage in conversations about seasonal focus, bestsellers, designer's personal favourite, upcoming marketing plan, budget and sales, which happen quite naturally during offline showrooms.

"These conversations and evoked emotions are all essential for us to share with our marketing and sales teams after our journey and engage the team on an emotional level to share the brand story with our customers," he writes.

Learnings from China

Shanghai Fashion Week was the first to adapt to the new landscape by moving completely online in March. Brands presented collections through videos, AR shows and live streaming, with the opportunity to sell directly to the public in collaboration with Alibaba's Tmall. According to Tmall, the opening event on the first day was viewed by an audience of 2.5 million for three hours and the format was an effective, quick reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic. But for buyers, challenges remained.

Foreign buyers with no knowledge of Mandarin struggled to navigate the Tmall app. The mixed format - which involved a see-now-buy-now model and public interactions - targeted the event to general customers rather than strictly industry insiders. Designers who participated agreed that the event was better for communicating with customers than with buyers. "Separating the sessions for professional buyers and the public would offer a better experience," writes Mui, adding that there wasn't a common showroom option, so they had to video call each brand one by one and view every piece during the call. For Petersson, having a guide online, just as foreign buyers usually have when visiting Shanghai, would have been helpful.

Lessons on transition from live fashion showrooms to virtual versions can be taken from Ontimeshow, one of China's largest fashion trade shows, especially as some Western countries will slowly move towards lifting lockdowns in May and June. The trade show held its Autumn/Winter 2020 preview event, from 10 to 16 April, inside the TX Huaihai mall in Shanghai, as its usual venue at the West Bund Art Centre, like other major venues in the country, remained closed. The format included a far smaller selection of brands than usual, but it also allowed designers to meet a number of local buyers in person. To complement the offline event, the trade show is also planning to launch OntimeOrder, an online ordering system that will include 360-degree presentations of the products.

"The brands enjoyed the opportunity to be in a retail space because they were able to be more creative about telling their brand story and showing buyers what their pieces looked like in a retail environment," writes Aroma Xie, co-founder of Ontimeshow.

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Vestiaire Collective raises €59 million to increase footprint in Asia Hoping for a rebound, China's fashion designers return to work Amid Covid-19, marketing changes shape

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Sign up to our newsletter for a truly global perspective on the fashion industry Video and 360-degree images score high on buyers' wish lists, but storytelling and regional specificities also need to be addressed. Key takeaways: Despite the availability of technologies for online buying and digital showrooms, brands were caught unprepared at the end of February, when the Covid-19 outbreak arrived in Europe.

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Fashion retailing, marketing, and merchandising

Once the clothes have been designed and manufactured, they need to be sold. But how are clothes to get from the manufacturer to the customer? The business of buying clothes from manufacturers and selling them to customers is known as retail. Retailers make initial purchases for resale three to six months before the customer is able to buy the clothes in-store.

fashion retail Comstock-Jupiterimages/Thinkstock

Fashion marketing is the process of managing the flow of merchandise from the initial selection of designs to be produced to the presentation of products to retail customers, with the goal of maximizing a company's sales and profitability. Successful fashion marketing depends on understanding consumer desire and responding with appropriate products. Marketers use sales tracking data, attention to media coverage, focus groups, and other means of ascertaining consumer preferences to provide feedback to designers and manufacturers about the type and quantity of goods to be produced. Marketers are thus responsible for identifying and defining a fashion producer's target customers and for responding to the preferences of those customers.

fashion retail Digital Vision/Thinkstock

Marketing operates at both the wholesale and retail levels. Companies that do not sell their own products at retail must place those products at wholesale prices in the hands of retailers, such as boutiques, department stores, and online sales companies. They use fashion shows, catalogs, and a sales force armed with sample products to find a close fit between the manufacturer's products and the retailer's customers. Marketers for companies that do sell their own products at retail are primarily concerned with matching products to their own customer base. At both the wholesale and the retail level, marketing also involves promotional activities such as print and other media advertising aimed at establishing brand recognition and brand reputation for diverse characteristics such as quality, low price, or trendiness.

Closely related to marketing is merchandising, which attempts to maximize sales and profitability by inducing consumers to buy a company's products. In the standard definition of the term, merchandising involves selling the right product, at the right price, at the right time and place, to the right customers. Fashion merchandisers must thus utilize marketers' information about customer preferences as the basis for decisions about such things as stocking appropriate merchandise in adequate but not excessive quantities, offering items for sale at attractive but still profitable prices, and discounting overstocked goods. Merchandising also involves presenting goods attractively and accessibly through the use of store windows, in-store displays, and special promotional events. Merchandising specialists must be able to respond to surges in demand by rapidly acquiring new stocks of the favoured product. An inventory-tracking computer program in a department store in London, for example, can trigger an automatic order to a production facility in Shanghai for a certain quantity of garments of a specified type and size to be delivered in a matter of days.

By the early 21st century the Internet had become an increasingly important retail outlet, creating new challenges (e.g., the inability for customers to try on clothes prior to purchase, the need for facilities designed to handle clothing returns and exchanges) and opening up new opportunities for merchandisers (e.g., the ability to provide customers with shopping opportunities 24 hours per day, affording access to rural customers). In an era of increasingly diverse shopping options for retail customers and of intense price competition among retailers, merchandising has emerged as one of the cornerstones of the modern fashion industry.

Fashion designers and manufacturers promote their clothes not only to retailers (such as fashion buyers) but also to the media (fashion journalists) and directly to customers. Already in the late 19th century, Paris couture houses began to offer their clients private viewings of the latest fashions. By the early 20th century, not only couture houses but also department stores regularly put on fashion shows with professional models. In imitation of Parisian couturiers, ready-to-wear designers in other countries also began mounting fashion shows for an audience that combined private clients, journalists, and buyers. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, fashion shows became more elaborate and theatrical, were held in larger venues with specially constructed elevated runways ("catwalks") for the models, and played an increasingly prominent role in the presentation of new fashions.

© K2 Images/Shutterstock.com

By the early 21st century, fashion shows were a regular part of the fashion calendar. The couture shows, held twice a year in Paris (in January and July) by the official syndicate of couture designers (comprising the most exclusive and expensive fashion houses), present outfits that might be ordered by potential clients but which often are intended more to showcase the designers' ideas about fashion trends and brand image. Ready-to-wear fashion shows, separately presenting both women's and men's wear, are held during spring and fall " Fashion Weeks," of which the most important take place in Paris, Milan, New York, and London. However, there are literally dozens of other Fashion Weeks internationally-from Tokyo to São Paolo. These shows, of much greater commercial importance than the couture shows, are aimed primarily at fashion journalists and at buyers for department stores, wholesalers, and other major markets. Extensively covered in the media, fashion shows both reflect and advance the direction of fashion change. Photographs and videos of fashion shows are instantaneously transmitted to mass-market producers who produce inexpensive clothing copied from or inspired by the runway designs.

Media and marketing

Media of all kinds are essential to the marketing of fashion. The first dedicated fashion magazines appeared in England and France in the late 18th century. In the 19th century, fashion magazines-such as the French La Mode Illustrée, the British Lady's Realm, and the American Godey's Lady's Book-proliferated and flourished. Featuring articles, hand-coloured illustrations (known as fashion plates), and advertisements, fashion magazines-together with other developments such as the sewing machine, department stores, and ready-to-wear clothing produced in standard sizes-played a significant role in promoting the democratization of fashion in the modern era. The development of effective and inexpensive methods of reproducing photographs in print media in the early 20th century led to the rise of fashion photography and of heavily illustrated fashion magazines such as Vogue. Magazine advertising rapidly became a principal marketing tool for the fashion industry.

The creation of cinema newsreels-short motion pictures of current events-and the rise of television made it possible for people all over the world to see fashion shows and to imitate the fashionable clothing worn by celebrities. The dominance of visual media continued in the Internet age, with fashion blogs emerging as an increasingly important means of disseminating fashion information. Red-carpet events such as awards ceremonies provide an opportunity for celebrities to be photographed wearing designer fashions, thus providing valuable publicity to the designers.

1950s fashions, Paris Stock footage courtesy The WPA Film Library

World fashion

Most people in the world today wear what can be described as "world fashion," a simplified and very low-cost version of Western clothing, often a T-shirt with pants or a skirt, manufactured on a mass scale. However, there are also numerous smaller and specialized fashion industries in various parts of the world that cater to specific national, regional, ethnic, or religious markets. Examples include the design, production, and marketing of saris in India and of boubous in Senegal. These industries operate in parallel with the global fashion industry on a minor and localized scale.

One significant development in the field of ethno-religious dress was widespread adoption of the hijab (religiously appropriate attire) among Muslim women not only in the Middle East but throughout the Islamic world in the early 21st century. With millions of Muslim women living in numerous countries worldwide, veiling norms and styles are myriad. For some, veiling can mean a withdrawal from the vicissitudes of fashion altogether. Other women, including those for whom modest garments are obligatory in public, may wear fashionable European styles underneath their more conservative street attire. Still others have sought looks that are themselves both chic and modest. At the beginning of the 21st century the international market for modest fashions was growing. Muslim and non-Muslim designers produced a widening selection of appropriate and stylish looks, and numerous fashion blogs and magazines targeting Muslim women became available. Some designers and manufacturers confronted not only the aesthetics of modest attire but also the practical challenges associated with conservative dress, as seen in efforts to produce modest yet effective swimwear and sportswear for Muslim female athletes.

The fashion system

The fashion industry forms part of a larger social and cultural phenomenon known as the "fashion system," a concept that embraces not only the business of fashion but also the art and craft of fashion, and not only production but also consumption. The fashion designer is an important factor, but so also is the individual consumer who chooses, buys, and wears clothes, as well as the language and imagery that contribute to how consumers think about fashion. The fashion system involves all the factors that are involved in the entire process of fashion change. Some factors are intrinsic to fashion, which involves variation for the sake of novelty (e.g., when hemlines have been low for a while, they will rise). Other factors are external (e.g., major historical events such as wars, revolutions, economic booms or busts, and the feminist movement). Individual trendsetters (e.g., Madonna and Diana, princess of Wales) also play a role, as do changes in lifestyle (e.g., new sports such as skateboarding) and music (e.g., rock and roll, hip-hop). Fashion is a complex social phenomenon, involving sometimes conflicting motives, such as creating an individual identity and being part of a group, emulating fashion leaders and rebelling against conformity. The fashion industry thrives by being diverse and flexible enough to gratify any consumer's desire to embrace or even to reject fashionability, however that term might be defined.

Valerie Steele John S. Major

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Fashion industry - Fashion retailing, marketing, and merchandising

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Fashion industry - Fashion retailing, marketing, and merchandising: Once the clothes have been designed and manufactured, they need to be sold. But how are clothes to get from the manufacturer to the customer? The business of buying clothes from manufacturers and selling them to customers is known as retail.

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when I worked in Giorgio Armani showroom, who explain these knowledge to me and wrote this down to me

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the Boutique

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The Department Store

Photos from book Fashion Design, Referenced (Alicia Kennedy & Emily Banis Stoehrer with Jay Calderin)

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Ready-to-wear

Photos from book Fashion Design, Referenced (Alicia Kennedy & Emily Banis Stoehrer with Jay Calderin)

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The commercial buyer

Photos from book Fashion Design, Referenced (Alicia Kennedy & Emily Banis Stoehrer with Jay Calderin)

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The Couture House

Photos from book Fashion Design, Referenced (Alicia Kennedy & Emily Banis Stoehrer with Jay Calderin)

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The Haute House

Photos from book Fashion Design, Referenced (Alicia Kennedy & Emily Banis Stoehrer with Jay Calderin)

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Inside the evolution of Chinese showrooms

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Buyer showrooms are driving a new, more commercialised approach to selling designer fashion in China.

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Direct-To-Consumer is fashion's new cool kid on the block and that's because 2020 hit fashion hard. Really hard. In order to survive, 2020 also became the industry's most innovative year in history and direct-to-consumer (or direct in short) fashion's top priority. Brands like Nike or Levi's have turned their focus to this channel looking for more control and flexibility. The more brands focus on direct, the more the industry wonders: what about wholesale?

Fashion and wholesale have had a long and fruitful relationship. For decades, success for brands in wholesale was synonymous with volume. Brands had to be physically everywhere to reach consumers and that meant a huge distribution galore. The bigger your distribution network, the bigger the volume to move. Brands focused on wholesale to drive expansion and increase sales without incurring in the costs of running the business directly. Volume became the success metric in wholesale and that made it so for the fashion industry as whole.

When wholesale's mold broke.

Before the pandemic hit, brands had started realizing this business model was generating challenges in their supply chain. Delayed deliveries, quality issues, inconsistent brand positioning or continuous markdown strategies were becoming endemic in the industry, forcing brands to look beyond wholesale to keep margins intact. The omnichannel obsession had started. Wholesale's volume remained a temptation too difficult to refuse leaving its P&L, for the most part, unchanged.

2020 hit us hard not because it was unexpected, but because we knew this would happen. We knew the wholesale model was growing old, but we didn't renew it in time. Direct gave brands flexibility and control they couldn't get from wholesale. With big retailers like El Corte Inglés or Macy's shutting down over 20% of their stores and stock piling up in warehouses, you start to wonder: is wholesale dead?

Maybe not. But it is definitely changing. 2020 has seen the solidification of new business models. Zalando wants to become the industry's first Platform as a Service e-tailer with their new Partner Program. Inditex brands have started selling via other e-tailers showing that wholesale can be valuable even for the most vertically-integrated brands. There's hope for wholesale but there's also significant change ahead. Brands are more selective in their distribution, looking for partners that give them direct control of their product and brand positioning, forging new wholesale relationships into the future of fashion's long loved channel.

Reducing costs is wholesale's present

Understanding the differences between sales channels is understanding fashion's hottest topic: margins. Oh thy margins! The industry can't stop thinking about them and with reason: making clothes isn't easy nor cheap and making them in 2020 became a lot harder and expensive. When done right, the direct-to-consumer channels offer brands more control over their positioning, their offering and the price, leading to more favorable business results over the long term.

Unfortunately, the share of wholesale for most brands is so big that diverting focus to direct initiatives won't be enough to cover for the loss. While direct's revenue has seen double-digit growth, it hasn't covered the damage seen in other channels. If direct's growth can't heal wholesale, then what can? Wholesale can. Wholesale must reset.

Wholesale's recovery must start with redefining its success. With sales revenue in decline, brands must look into ways to avoid the collapse of their margins. Rather than looking at wholesale's volume, brands should look into their P&L, reducing the costs to serve customers and further invest in digitization to increase their advantage in adversity. This shift in focus will allow brands to keep margins intact in the short-term and lay the foundation to further increase them after the industry's recovery is past us. The future is bright for a better wholesale model.

Better sales is wholesale's future.

Wholesale is all about the relationship between brands and retailers. This relationship is based on sales: Brands selling products to retailers and retailers selling products to consumers. Sales is the essence of wholesale and the key to its future. New digital platforms have helped sales teams to make business while reducing the costs to serve customers. However, digital platforms shouldn't be seen as a silver bullet. They can make the process faster, but it won't solve other, bigger underlying issues. Technology and people must work together seamlessly for this new model to succeed.

If better wholesale means reduced costs, sales performance should be measured in the same terms. More sales won't solve wholesale's biggest issues. Sample costs, poor brand positioning or order fragmentation will only grow in scale if the only action taken is implementing a digital platform. In order to reach a better wholesale model, brands need to adopt a better sales mindset, one that strives for efficiency, not volume. One that encourages sales to work on quality, not quantity. One that enables sustainable growth.

Fashion doesn't need more wholesale. It needs better wholesale. And better wholesale starts with better sales. Is wholesale dead? Well, the old wholesale is.

About HATCH

is a Digital Showroom Platform born from fashion and built for fashion. Hatch Digital Showroom empowers fashion brands to drive better, healthier sales at scale and reduce the costs to service customers. Hatch achieves this by offering a software platform that enables engaging, efficient and more sustainable sales meetings.

Big name brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Clavin Klein and Havaianas® use the Hatch Digital Showroom to sell better. It's Hatch's mission to transform wholesale by creating a new sales experience for all fashion brands and retailers.

Better Sales Start with Hatch.

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The Future of Wholesale is Better Sales, not More Sales

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Direct-To-Consumer is fashion's new cool kid on the block and that's because 2020 hit fashion hard. Really hard. In order to survive, 2020 also became the industry's most innovative year in history and direct-to-consumer (or direct in short) fashion's top priority. Brands like Nike or Levi's have turned their focus to this channel looking for more control and flexibility.

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Many businesses wonder what really sets wholesale business and retail companies apart from one another, so we've dedicated an entire chapter in this article to take you through the pros and cons of each business model in more detail.

Wholesale vs Retail: Which one is for you?

You have a product, and it's a good one. You may be looking at the best way to take that product to market, or you may already be selling it in small quantities and are now planning for growth.

Essentially there are two main ways to sell your product - either as a wholesaler, or as a retailer. Each has its benefits and potential pitfalls. When choosing the most appropriate avenue to market, you must consider which model fits best with:

Let's discuss this in detail...

What's in this article?

You have put your all into developing your business and you want your product to get to its target market in the most effective way possible. The question is: do you want to be a retail business, or join the wholesale market?

The choice of retail vs wholesale, or even a bit of both is a big decision. Read this article to discover the options available to reach your customers and help decide what is the best business model for your business.

We will focus on:

What are the differences between wholesale suppliers and retail businesses?

Why being a wholesaler might suit you?

Why being a retailer might suit you?

Can wholesalers sell products via retail and vice versa?

What do you need to know for multichannel retailing?

What else do you need to consider?

Wholesale vs Retail

First things first, what is the difference between a wholesale and a retail? And why are those differences important?

What is wholesale?

A wholesaler is a person or company who sells products in bulk to various outlets or retailers for onward sale, either directly or through a middleman. Wholesalers are able to sell their products for a lower price as they are selling in bulk, which reduces the handling time and costs involved.

They usually provide large quantities of goods, but can take on orders for smaller quantities as well. The wholesaler may also be the manufacturer or producer of the product, but they don't have to be.

What is retail?

A retailer is a person or a company who sells products directly to their customers for a profit. The retailer may be the manufacturer of the product, or may acquire relevant products from a distributor or a wholesaler. The products they sell will be at a higher price than they would be from a wholesaler, due to markups.

Why Wholesaling Might Suit You

Being a wholesaler gives you access to a diverse range of outlets and allows you to reach a large customer base. Offering your product as wholesale allows a larger audience access to your wares, therefore you are able to grow your business quickly.

This can drive interest for your product and can make you attractive to retail stores who can see that there is a solid audience for your goods and are more likely to want to stock your product.

1. Brand Awareness

Acting as a wholesaler is a great way to build awareness for your product. Instead of consumers having to purchase exclusively from a particular shop, be it an ecommerce store or brick and mortar, consumers can see your product in a variety of outlets. It can allow a wide range of consumers who might otherwise not have been aware of your product to build a relationship with it.

2. Drop-Shipping

As a wholesaler, you can take advantage of a method of selling known as drop-shipping. A retailer or merchant sells the product, but doesn't own the inventory. Instead, the order comes directly through to you and you dispatch the product directly to the customer. As a drop shipper, you gain the advantages of retail sales (such as targeted branding and a direct line to the customer), while a specialist retailer handles the front end of things. You retain ownership of the inventory, though it does add complexity to your supply chain.

When drop-shipping, the system at the center of your business should offer you the flexibility of being able to differentiate your drop-ship orders from others. Whether this be in the form of a drop-ship symbol against orders, a different order status or a report filter, you should be able to separate out these orders at a glance, quickly and easily. This allows for simple and effective reporting, as well as your team being able to process the orders quickly and in the correct way, according to your drop-shipping workflows.

3. Global Expansion

When selling wholesale products, it's much faster and easier to expand into global markets. Any growth and expansion is defined primarily by your relationship with those clients who buy goods from you. If they sell globally, then so will you as you're just getting the goods to where they need to sell them.

Ensure your accounting system is setup to allow for multicurrency transactions so that you can clients can place purchase orders in multiple currencies.

Another part to this is that when selling via wholesale, you will be shipping your goods internationally as one large container, as opposed to sending hundreds of individual retail packages. For a small business looking to grow, this can be a cheaper way of selling internationally.

Potential Pitfalls

A wholesaler is not able to be as responsive to the changing needs and desires of the end-user. Whereas a retailer is at the front line of building a relationship with the consumer, a wholesaler is at least one step away and relies heavily on market research and feedback from retailers to stay ahead of the game.

1. Retaining Brand Identity

By trusting your product to a retailer, you're putting faith in their ability to retain the brand identity of your product. You don't want to supply something to Walmart, and have consumers think of it as Walmart's own product!

It may not always be possible to have control over how your product is merchandised, any discounted prices they choose, or what competitive products it's displayed alongside.

2. Marketing Your Product

As a wholesaler, you still have responsibility for marketing your product to consumers. You cannot expect the retailer to do all of the work for two reasons:

1. You need consistency of message regarding product placement and brand identity of your product. You cannot expect each retailer to market the product as they choose while still retaining any consistency in message.

2. Retailers need to be able to find you. With so many online stores offering their products to trade customers, you need to stand out. Having a better price than your competitors, simple distribution channels, and great product lines is no good if no-one knows about it.

3. Warehouse Space

Selling wholesale means that you will likely be selling your products in large quantities to many different retailers and distributors. This means you need to ensure you have plenty of warehouse storage space to facilitate those sales.

Whilst we're on the subject, it's also important to ensure your warehouse processes are streamlined and efficient to help minimize any packing errors or wasted time locating goods in your warehouse. Handling bulk quantities can be tricky, and it's important everything makes its way to the end consumer in a timely fashion.

The inventory in your warehouse should integrate seamlessly with your wholesale management platform, so that you always know how many of each item is in your warehouse, ready for those large wholesale orders you're going to be fulfilling.

Why Retail Might Suit You

Operating as a retailer is ideal if you want to retain complete control of your product lines and you enjoy having a hands on relationship with your customers. There is a lot to think about if you're in this position, but you are able to be responsive to the demands of your customers and their potentially changing needs and desires.

1. Targeted Consumer Base

You're able to specifically target a tailored consumer base. By being the retailer, you can personally select the marketing channels that are most likely to reach customers who need and want your product. You can also choose the best type of store for your needs - a brick and mortar shop, an online store, or both.

The important thing here is to ensure you're reporting on these sales channels, so that you can make changes quickly if needed. Maybe there are a particular brand of products that are selling well on Amazon, whereas your website is the go-to place for every other brand? Or is there a particular type of product selling well on eBay versus your own brick and mortar store? However you decide to slice and dice your reporting, use the analysis to your benefit, get your products on the best channels and go where your shoppers are.

2. Personal Connection

Without a middleman, you can get to know your customer base in great detail. One of the key differences to wholesaling is that you get to deal with them directly. This means you can get a sense of their preferences and their habits, and your business can respond quickly to that.

Reporting in your business system is also very handy here - with various customer, sales and product reports, you can very quickly see what are your best sellers versus no sellers. This lets you order large quantities of what works, and get rid of what doesn't.

By tracking retail sales, you'll also be able to see who your best customers are, so perhaps you could target them with a personalized offer? On the other hand, you can also see which customers haven't bought from you in say 3 months; you may want to send them a personalized email in order to get them buying from you again. Knowing your customers based on their buying habits allows you to personalize your service, which your customers will notice and appreciate!

3. Control Over Brand Identity

Having control allows you to ensure that your brand identity isn't diluted and isn't damaged. You're in control of the retail price, where your product is seen, how it's presented and what other products it's displayed alongside. You are in control of the marketing of the product, so can ensure that the messages being put out to the world are consistent with how you want your product to be viewed.

4. Price and Profit Margin

When developing your retail strategy, you can decide for yourself what price you are going to sell goods for and at what profit margin. All of that profit will sit directly with you and won't be shared with a wholesaler. Use the margin reports in your system to ensure your products are making you the best margins possible and make changes if needed.

You should also keep an eye on your margins across your sales channels as each platform will incur different costs, such as eBay or Amazon fees. And don't forget your landed costs such as insurance, shipping and taxes! You'll need to be on top of all of these to ensure your profits are accurate and growing.

Adopt an integrated accounting system to gain real-time view of your business performance
See the Benefits
Can Wholesalers Sell Retail and
Vice Versa?

Why not have the best of both worlds? It could be the perfect answer to both keep control of the business from start to finish, maintain your own virtual or brick and mortar shop and to grow the business quickly, all at the same time.

In theory, it sounds like an ideal answer for many companies who are able to handle the sale of goods over multiple channels at once, and that want to retain direct contact with the consumer. However, there are a number of issues, both positive and negative, to bear in mind before going down this path.

1. Competing Against Yourself

By being both retailer and wholesaler, you're at risk of directly competing against your own resellers, therefore you're competing against your own product. It's essential that you don't undercut the resale price, as this would damage your wholesale relationship with them and retailers would be reluctant to take your inventory in the future.

Keep an eye on those all important reports! You should have separate price lists based on either vendor, sales channel, or both. This will ensure you're not setting such a low price you end up undercutting your competition, or damaging your own profits.

2. Different Ranges of Products

One way to avoid directly competing against your resellers would be to offer one line of products in your own outlets, and to offer a different range of products for wholesale. This could be completely different items, or the same product in different designs, colors or sizes. This is easy to do through effective product and SKU tracking so that you know which outlet has which items and how well they're selling.

3. Profit Margins

If choosing to sell via wholesale as well as retail, you need to be sure that your wholesale prices cover your costs and still make a profit. This is where understanding your true inventory costs comes in.

For instance, landed costs are often those hidden costs that you may not always think about, such as insurance, fees and taxes. You should always take these into account when pricing products, as well as the usual costs for shipping goods out to your customers, and receiving goods into your warehouse.

Having a grip on all of these inventory costs before pricing your products will ensure you are making the most profit, in line with the items you sell and who your target market is.

Choosing the Right Channel for Your Business

When choosing the most appropriate avenue to market, you must consider which model fits best with:

1. Your strengths and personality as a business owner

2. The brand identity of your business and its product or products

3. How best to reach your target market

Remember to evaluate the strengths of your product and your employees and assess the avenues open to you. Also take into account how much control of the product you want to retain, and how much face-to-face contact with the consumer you need or want to have.

Here are a few other starting points:

If choosing to become a wholesaler, prioritize selling to retailers by providing your resellers with the best service to allow them to grow their business and trust you as a repeat supplier.

If choosing to focus on retail, prioritize the channels that will grow your business to reduce the need to rely on resellers to provide you with turnover.

If you feel able to manage both wholesale and retail together, think about strategies that will allow you to grow the retail side of your business while being able to sell to retailers without competing against yourself.

Conclusion: Wholesaling or Retail?

By successfully supporting all of our customers, we have developed extensive experience in meeting the diverse needs of both types of seller. We hope that now you feel a little more prepared to make the right decision for your business. By picking the model that suits you best, your business will thrive.

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Retail vs Wholesale: Understanding the Differences of Each

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Many businesses wonder what really sets wholesale business and retail companies apart from one another, so we've dedicated an entire chapter in this article to take you through the pros and cons of each business model in more detail. You have a product, and it's a good one.

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Typically, a showroom during Fashion Week meant a single clothes rail in a crowded PR office, competing for the attention of the industry's buyers with, on average, fifteen other brands. But in more recent years, young brands have turned their back on this route. In a digital age where you can reach a buyer via social media in a second, the showroom is perceived as irrelevant and labels are beginning to question the norm. Is it worth the money? Am I being represented in the way I deserve? What am I actually getting out of this? How can a new label possibly stand out in one of the busiest weeks in the fashion calendar?

©Appear Here

Enter a new wave of brands who have decided to take matters into their own hands, redefining the showroom by moving into their own stores; creating a new kind of experience for buyers and shoppers alike.

Read on to learn the key benefits they've experienced from setting up shop for fashion week:
Build real connections with your customers.

©Appear Here

The secret behind the success of a showroom is the importance it places on face-to-face interaction with buyers; creating relationships that can't be replicated on social media. A central showroom amongst the buzz of Fashion Week can be the perfect setting to build these meaningful connections you might not have otherwise met in a typical invite-only showroom.

Real-life interaction has never been more crucial in our digital age, and no one knows this better than independent womenswear label KITRI; whose responsive business model places the consumer front and centre of their development. So, founder Haeni Kim found that her immersive Marylebone space in the heart of Fashion Week became crucial to connecting with the public during Fashion Week, going out into the streets to hand out zines and welcoming Fashion Week shoppers into the store: "I always wanted a physical touchpoint with the customer to best understand her needs. I looked forward to meeting more customers and understanding them better."
Do Fashion Week your way.

©Appear Here

Moving your showroom from a corner in an office to the streets during Fashion Week is an opportunity to get creative. Fit-out, design, even your playlist can all be tailored to you. Because you don't share the space with any other brands, there's no need to compromise. In their central Soho space for LFWM20, streetwear brand EJDER had the freedom to curate a completely unique experience; one that gained press attention from HYPEBEAST and thousands of passers-by. Using their founder's background in youth work, they put on an immersive youth culture event series in their shop including DJ sets, a photography exhibition and even workshops.

Simon Suphangdali, founder of EJDER tells us that this kind of alternative is perfect for the biggest event on the industry's calendar. "Fashion Week is inherently about destroying the old and actualising the new", their founder told us, "In nature, it lacked all the necessities of a showroom designed to fit the needs and wants of the buyer. However, it did something far more important than those needs and wants: it displayed the brand's ability to physically manifest its culture and community."
Stand out by doing something unexpected.

©Matches

Last season, there were over 240 shows over the course of the four Fashion Weeks, in a month that showcased countless brands; in such a crowded market, it's more important than ever to stand out. Even the biggest names in the fashion industry are using alternative spaces as a tool to do just that. To celebrate the opening of their new five-story London flagship and the launch of their Fall collection, MATCHESFASHION.COM curated a presentation in a New York showroom space. The central Mercer Street location featured 40 models incorporated into five different scenes, each representing a different floor of the London townhouse. Having only previously utilised the traditional showroom for their collection launches, the spectacle was an unexpected move from the well-known brand, but their creative risk paid dividends; receiving significant attention from the reporters and the editors in attendance. Their CEO, Ulric Jerome noted at the time: "Nobody has ever done this before as a retailer. Bringing this live to an audience is exactly what we try to do every day."
Turn your showroom into your very own store.

©Appear Here

One of the more obvious benefits of having a showroom on your city's streets is the new opportunity to make direct sales with like-minded consumers; doubling up your showroom as a retail experience in its own right. This is particularly important if you're considering investing in physical retail in the future: what better time to test the waters than Fashion Week? By setting up shop in their Soho space, EJDER was able to connect with an unprecedented amount of customers during one of the most crucial times of the year for the brand: "The space allowed for a commercial return, but it lacked the spectacle of the fashion show. However, we made up for this via more concentrated installation designs and thorough activations. It allowed for the promotion of our brand in a highly competitive time."
It's more cost-effective than any catwalk.

©Appear Here

Before, a womenswear brand like Finery London would have had to pay a premium to make an impact on Fashion Week, but by strategically showcasing their first collection in the central Seven Dials, they were able to share the attention of one of London's busiest luxury fashion destinations. The interactive window display allowed Fashion Week attendees to 'win' access to the launch of their online store; an inventive move that brought Finery London straight under the noses of the fashion industry insiders. By trusting their creative vision and deciding to do things differently, Finery London experienced thousands of sign-ups pre-launch and a 50% conversion rate after the site went live; all for the fraction of the cost of a traditional runway show.

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The Alternative Showroom: How to make Fashion Week work for you.

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Typically, a showroom during Fashion Week meant a single clothes rail in a crowded PR office, competing for the attention of the industry's buyers with, on average, fifteen other brands. But in more recent years, young brands have turned their back on this route.

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A showroom, also referred to as a gallery, is a large space used to display products, entertainment or visual arts.

A showroom is a large space used to display products for sale, such as automobiles, furniture, appliances, carpets or apparel. It is a retail store of a company in which products are on sale in a space created by their brand or company. A showroom can also be a space for wholesale buyers to view fashion merchandise for sale in their retail stores.

Among the various forms of showroom, one has been increasing significantly. The guide shop model is a strategy that many brands found to be present in both online and physical stores. A guide shop is a kind of showroom where the client can try and feel the products and purchase them to have it delivered on his/her home. Fashion stores are adopting the showrooms such guide shops for immersive brand experience and the vantage of no inventory in the stores. Also, their clients feel more confident before buying the product, decreasing the return rates.

The world's most famous locations for a showroom, generally in the form of a cluster, are the Champs Elysees in Paris and Merchandise Mart in Chicago.[citation needed ]

One of the world's largest showrooms is the 35,000 square metres (380,000 sq ft) BMW showroom in Abu Dhabi. The biggest collection of showrooms is a 216,000-square-metre (2,330,000 sq ft) car showroom in Istanbul called Autopia Europia.

An online showroom is an online space where a business presents its products to the customers. The product presentation usually includes an image, price or tiered pricing, and product description. An online showroom can also have online ordering and/or online payment options. A business can host the online showroom on their website or create and host it on other platforms.

In the online showrooms, products are usually combined into categories or collections, while the customer has several range options. The most common are ranging by price or by brand.

The online showrooms became more popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. While physical stores were forced to be closed, owners shifted their businesses online.

A showroom is a permanent enclosed space used to present a performance. Sometimes it is customized for a particular show; for example, the Las Vegas Hilton showroom used for the rock opera Starlight Express was customized by pouring concrete ramps onto its stage area and in the seating area.

Some showrooms are used daily, while others are only used when a performer is booked to perform. In some cases, a showroom is leased to a performer, who then retains all income rather than being paid by the showroom owner.

In fashion capitals such as New York City, Paris, Milan or London one can find temporary showrooms. These places can be rented on a daily or weekly basis. Some temporary showrooms are managed with the help of event management agencies. Most are run and operated by in-house or contracted sale reps in that territory. Temporary showrooms can also be pop-up stores, which are short-term sales spaces.

Automobile manufacturer Ferrari has recently introduced augmented reality technology into their showrooms, to provide customers with a more hands-on approach when purchasing a vehicle.

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A showroom, also referred to as a gallery, is a large space used to display products, entertainment or visual arts. A showroom is a large space used to display products for sale, such as automobiles, furniture, appliances, carpets or apparel.

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What Is Showrooming?

The term showrooming refers to the practice of visiting brick-and-mortar retail stores to research merchandise before purchasing it online for a lower price. The practice allows individuals to look, touch, and test products before they spend their money, especially for higher-priced products. Showrooming became more frequent with the rise of smartphones and mobile devices. Online retailers and consumers both benefit from showrooming because of the competitive prices offered for the same products as traditional retailers.

Key Takeaways

How Showrooming Works

Before the digital era, consumers needed to visit traditional retail stores in order to make purchases. Frugal shoppers looking for a deal had to visit more than one store to get the products they wanted at the best price. But the rise of mobile devices and online shopping changed the way consumers shop.

Consumers may still need to visit retailers for various reasons before they make purchases. For instance, someone who wants to purchase clothing may need to try on a pair of jeans to ensure they buy the right size. Or they may want to test out a sofa at a furniture or department store before committing to such a large purchase.

Going into a store allows customers to test out products like these before making the decision to buy them. It also permits them to comparison shop-even while they're in the store. By going online, shoppers can check out which retailer has the best price. This is referred to as showrooming. Showrooming allows an individual to make purchases at the best price at that exact moment.

Online retailers benefit the most from showrooming because they can offer free shipping over a certain purchase price or to valued consumers. For instance, Amazon ( AMZN) offers free shipping to Prime customers. Specialty retailers like electronics stores, tend to be the most vulnerable. Consumers still want to test out this kind of merchandise before they buy. Bookstores also suffer-particularly independent stores whose prices may be higher than online retailers.

Special Considerations

To combat the growing clout of online retailers, brick-and-mortar retailers, such as Walmart ( WMT) and Target ( TGT), are using a number of different marketing tactics, including in-store pickup for online purchases. This helps them avoid shipping charges while they offer select products exclusively in physical stores. Other tactics include:

better in-store experiences

price matching

buying online but testing out in the store

allowing in-store returns and exchanges for online purchases

curbside pickup, common during the COVID-19 pandemic

Smaller stores and boutiques must combat showrooming in more creative ways. Examples of this may include holding special sales, selling in-store merchandise via their website, creating membership clubs, and promoting a shop local culture.

Showrooming vs. Webrooming

Some consumers may like to research their purchases online but still purchase them in-store. This is called webrooming. It is the exact opposite of showrooming and is also referred to as reverse showrooming. With webrooming, a consumer goes online to research products and other merchandise. But rather than buying through an e-retailer, they end up going to a brick-and-mortar store to review and make their final purchase.

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The term showrooming refers to the practice of visiting brick-and-mortar retail stores to research merchandise before purchasing it online for a lower price. The practice allows individuals to look, touch, and test products before they spend their money, especially for higher-priced products. Showrooming became more frequent with the rise of smartphones and mobile devices.

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Showrooms' relevancy is at risk of slipping as Instagram and e-commerce increasingly cut the middlemen out of fashion's equation.

In response, the spaces are adding new lines of business including event hosting, content producing and designer discovery.

Like brands, the showrooms have also started selling directly to consumers, further removing retailers.

At the Tomorrow Le Palais wholesale apparel showroom on the rue du Cardinal Lemoine, modern dancers dressed in padded pink pantyhose crept, lunged and threaded their way through a nattily dressed crowd. Garment racks surrounded the scene, loaded with the Autumn/Winter collection of Enfold, a Japanese label known for its quirky, minimalist take on normcore.

It was an unexpected experience to stumble upon in a wholesale apparel showroom during Paris Fashion Week.

But when Enfold representatives requested permission to stage a performance there, the showroom's executives eagerly agreed. "We said yes, absolutely," says Tim Ryan, chief marketing officer of Tomorrow London Ltd, the operating group that owns the showroom. Tomorrow has found that performances, art and other entertaining activities cause retail store buyers to stick around longer and to look more deeply at collections.

The traditional showroom has been rocked by the myriad shifts that have roiled apparel retailing in the past decade. "It's dead," Stefano Martinetto, Tomorrow's chief executive told me last September. "The showroom as we knew it doesn't work anymore."

There was a time, not long ago, when the fashion showrooms that populated Paris, New York, London and garment districts like those in Los Angeles were largely a matter of four walls, some tables for writing orders, and racks of clothes. But as Instagram and the internet have removed middlemen that once separated consumers from fashion brands, wholesale showrooms which employ about 8 per cent of the industry's labour force in the US according to Fashion United - are evolving by becoming more like the brands they represent.

It's the forced result of a sink-or-swim survival mode that showrooms have entered as more brands sell directly to consumers and as retailers' - and therefore wholesalers' - struggles increase. Barneys New York, Opening Ceremony and roughly 9,300 other retailers closed stores in the US in 2019 up from about 5,800 in 2018, according to Coresight Research. Those closures are only expected to climb this year.

Hybrid models

At the More Dash showroom in Paris, founder Daria Shapovalova says the showroom has become a "platform" for elevating brands directly to consumers as well as to stores. She started the showroom when she lived in her native Ukraine to highlight Ukranian fashions. Designers crowded in seasonally, hung their clothes on metal racks and waited for buyers to come by.

Today, More Dash bills itself as a "fashion experience retail company". The showroom allows consumers as well as retailers to place pre-orders online for clothing. At its Paris headquarters on the rue du Mail during fashion weeks, photographers and filmmakers record the myriad activities - cocktail parties, sales meetings, visits from influencers - to create content for the labels' and showroom's use in later social and marketing campaigns.

It also holds pop-up displays that it calls "content creation studios" in between fashion marketing seasons, building out sets and inviting influencers and their friends to photograph themselves in designers' samples in return for posting to social media accounts and tagging More Dash as well as the label. If the influencers want to keep the item, they may buy it. The overall effect is a hybrid wholesale showroom, e-tailer and content marketing and production firm.

Foreseeing a continued dramatic downturn in retail, London-based Tomorrow has shifted into entire new businesses, investing directly in promising fashion brands such as A-Cold-Wall, a menswear brand launched by Virgil Abloh mentee Samuel Ross. The group offers consulting, design, licensing and production services to brands. Last autumn it brought in as chief development officer Julie Gilhart, a former fashion director of Barneys known for ferreting out promising young designers.

"We've evolved into a real multi-brand platform. It's like an independent record company for fashion," said Martinetto.

New brand partnerships

That involves inviting influential brands to use Tomorrow's Paris showroom - actually an 18th-century mansion surrounded by high wrought iron gates - even if they aren't part of the firm's stable of labels. Last week, US wunderkind Christopher John Rogers had parked his collection at Tomorrow for Paris Fashion Week sales.

"It's discovery - they reached out to us," Rogers said, glancing around the large room where people mingled and looked over the collection he'd shown in New York in February. "Normally we're in a little hotel room in New York with two racks." He grinned. "They have services, models, dressers... chairs!"

Last September, Tomorrow installed Pyer Moss designer Kerby Jean-Raymond on an upper floor. The label - fashion's equivalent of a rock star these days - drew a stream of visitors past other showrooms on their way to pay homage. Raymond called his arrangement with Tomorrow a "strategic partnership" that involved revenue-sharing, but noted that he benefited additionally from traffic the showroom generated for him, and the competent sales help.

In the current Covid-19 crisis, Tomorrow is seeing decreases in orders versus their projections for the Autumn/Winter 2020 season (projections based on Autumn/Winter 2019). Like-for-like orders are down about 15 per cent, Ryan said in an email this week. He noted that Tomorrow is advising brands in which the group has invested that they should produce "more edited" collections for third and fourth quarter 2020 deliveries, given the coronavirus outbreak is impacting global production, distribution and possibly consumer demand.

But new business and organic growth is up nearly 30 per cent, Ryan said. That suggests that diversifying may be having an unintended benefit in a time of economic downturn by building business that didn't exist under the old model.

Elena Troulakis, Tomorrow's commercial director, said in an email that she sees the Le Palais showroom in Paris as an "environment of impact, energy and experience". That sounds theatrical, but she sees the showroom as serving a human need that is ultimately vital to sales. "Le Palais lets us [connect] with our brand partners to generate cultural experience, as well as providing many other good reasons for us and our network of international retail partners to come together - which we will continue to do, when we are all able to again."

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More from this author: In Paris, uncertainty overshadows sustainability and diversity Designers' savvy branding play: Combining art and fashion Should New York cancel fashion week?

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Fashion's showrooms are evolving to survive in a new industry

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Showrooms' relevancy is at risk of slipping as Instagram and e-commerce increasingly cut the middlemen out of fashion's equation. In response, the spaces are adding new lines of business including event hosting, content producing and designer discovery. Like brands, the showrooms have also started selling directly to consumers, further removing retailers.

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You may have noticed that over the past decade or so, the way brands reach consumers and sell products has changed beyond recognition. With the advent of social media and direct-to-consumer shopping, online purchasing is more powerful than ever.

And the way we buy has changed too - we're no longer restricted to a physical store down the road, we shop from everywhere in the world through our phones, tablets and laptops.

However, this revolution is yet to hit the business side of fashion. It is yet to change the way brands and manufacturers conduct buying and selling with each other.

Fashion brands, vendors and suppliers still need to conduct physical meetings in their showrooms to show and sell their products. And getting new clients is largely dependent on trade shows. This model may not be the most functional as physical showroom visits have reduced and trade show attendance is dwindling.

What's worse, the pandemic has confirmed that this format is outdated. So, even though fashion fairs and runway shows are returning... Many brands, manufacturers and suppliers have decided that the hassle just may not be worth it anymore!

Fortunately, the solution is already here. It's called a Virtual Showroom

It's time to acquaint yourself with its replacement and how everyone from brands to manufacturers are taking advantage of the new technology.

What is a Virtual Showroom?

While online shopping is more convenient and affordable than a physical shop, it's only a fraction of what can be achieved with a Virtual Showroom. Sometimes also called digital showroom, it's a platform that allows a brand or supplier to sell and engage with customers in the digital realm.

As a concept, virtual showroom has been around for a while, but we're now starting to see it gain momentum and drive incremental revenue. They're also vastly improving the customer experience.

Replacing the physical showroom or trade show exhibits, a Virtual Showroom takes the best parts of the showroom experience and organizes them into a user-friendly digital interface. It brings businesses unprecedented opportunities to strike deals and initiate transactions without leaving their desks.

A virtual showroom can be as complex and innovative or as minimal and functional as the brand itself. It can be an extension of a brand's universe and a medium to communicate its story to prospective customers.

How big fashion brands are using cutting-edge Virtual Showrooms

To start off, let's look at the crème de la crème of virtual showrooms. This shows how some of the most innovative ways brands are harnessing the full potential of virtual showrooms to connect with shoppers.

If you've heard of the "Metaverse", you'd know that this is the biggest new playground for fashion enthusiasts. The Metaverse is where you get to experience the Internet as virtual reality, like a scene out of Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One.

If 2021 was any indication, no fashion brand wants to be left behind as the world moves towards a new digital era. Brands like Nike, Louboutin, Balmain, Diesel and more are creating virtual showrooms in the form of immersive 3D virtual environments.

Taking inspiration and often collaborating with gaming or virtual reality platforms like Roblox, brands have created virtual spaces that look exactly like physical showrooms. Shoppers can browse through clothes and try them on via state-of-the-art "try-on" technologies. Avatars can sport digital renditions of their collection and customers can buy both digital and physical looks in the Metaverse.

US-based designer JW Anderson choose a simpler form of a digital showroom in collaboration with the HoloMe app. Models were recorded in front of a green screen wearing the brand's Spring/Summer '21 collection. And when you open the HoloMe app, you can turn the camera on and project the model in front of you like a video call.
Photo credit - JW Anderson
Why Virtual Showrooms are a powerful tool for fashion brands

Every brand must find a way to make an impression. But many forget that clothing is a multi-sensory experience. It's not easy to express your brand personality through pixels and text. As a result, most brands run into problems with their online shops - like poor or no conversion rates and no sales.

At the risk of contradicting ourselves, we'll say that the showroom is not dead - but it has moved online.

With digital showroom, you don't just fulfill the primary purpose of selling online but it allows online shoppers to explore every aspect of your brand's personality by including aspects like imagery, product descriptions, and music/sound effects.

You can do all of this without spending a bomb on real estate, set design, props, sales assistants you and other resources associated with a physical store.

The Virtual Showroom is open 24/7 s o you can cater to buyers from all over the world. They can visit your store at any time and get the same experience as someone sitting on the other end of the world.

Even if you already have online retail presence, a virtual showroom offers the chance to build brand awareness and improve conversions. The novelty of experiencing a virtual showroom can leave a lasting impression on your customer with little effort on your part.

Features such as chatbots, videos, look books, interesting backgrounds and 360-degree 3D product views create an interactive environment for buyers.

Last but definitely not the least, a virtual showing is a far more sustainable shopping format for both your brand and your consumer.

Why fashion manufacturers and brands should utilize virtual showrooms to grow B2B sales

For fashion manufacturers and brands, detailed in-person meetings to review presentations, catalogues, textiles, trims and so on are common practice. Both the brand and supplier go over every minute detail of the collection over and over again to ensure it is what they want to buy and it's produced to perfection. Since no sample is perfect, the process is known to drag out for long periods!

As the global situation pushed these meetings online, it became even more challenging for manufacturers. Such limitations make it harder for suppliers to pitch their in-house design collections. Brands are also finding it harder to sell their collections to retailers. A business model that brings them massive growth and profit. With many retail buyers and brand owners unable to travel, suppliers are losing important business.

The lack of proper infrastructure makes these meetings tedious to the point of being unproductive. This is where virtual showrooms can become a saving grace for manufacturers.

A Mckinsey & Co. report said "both buyers and sellers prefer the new digital reality. Around 70-80% of B2B decision-makers prefer remote human interaction or digital self-service."

Virtual Showrooms are the 'new normal' for fashion manufacturers

The benefits of digital showrooms are aplenty. So, why should B2C have all the fun!

Virtual Showrooms for manufacturers can enable greater collaboration and ease communication between vendors and brands. It gives them a shared platform to review and discuss design and sample related queries in a centralized way.

With most global trade shows and garment fairs still on hiatus, digital showrooms can fill a glaring demand gap in the B2B fashion industry. Fashion manufacturers can use them to host their own trade show. They can invite their existing and prospective customers to view collections and streamline the B2B sales process.

Vendors can save time and eliminate the hassle of physically managing a large number of customers, as opposed to just sharing a link. Brands can benefit from exclusive viewings in their own time and place orders on the platform itself. Unlike a physical showroom, a virtual showroom allows you to invite multiple clients who may not have been able to visit your physical setup otherwise.

What's more, a digital showroom gives you access to analytics such as how long a person spent on a collection, which products did they engage with the most and so on. This data will guide you in making better decisions about the design, development and sale of your products.
Digitalization of B2B commerce is essential for a more sustainable and efficient future of fashion.
Manufacturers should embrace virtual selling before another calamity eats away at their business goals. A virtual showroom can be THE solution to future-proofing your factory. Digitalize and centralize your fashion business before it's too late!

Wondering what the WFX Virtual showroom can do for you?

Learn more about how the WFX Virtual Showroom can boost your sales processes and ensure the continued growth of your business.

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The evolution of the showroom - how technology is transforming B2B sales - WFX

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You may have noticed that over the past decade or so, the way brands reach consumers and sell products has changed beyond recognition. With the advent of social media and direct-to-consumer shopping, online purchasing is more powerful than ever.

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The process of selling and buying goods dates back several hundred years. The most transformative period arguably occurred at the outset of the 20th century. Journey through the major people, places and events that defined the modern era of retail.

The 1900s & the 1920s - The Only Way Is Up: Building the Modern Department Store In tandem with growing population sizes and the Industrial Revolution, entrepreneurs at the turn of the 20th century thought it fit to simplify the shopping experience. Society was accustomed to smaller, specified stores and the concept of "one-stop" shopping didn't exist yet. Enter the department store. Customers were able to shop leisurely across "departments" in one standalone building, instead of rushing from market stall to market stall. Establishments like Hudson's Bay, Harrods and Neiman Marcus set the groundwork for customer service and shopping as we know it today.
Highlights of the time:

Opening to the public in Paris in 1852, Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche was the first department store in the world. Still in operation today, Le Bon Marché continues to cater to an affluent clientele.

John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin starts a shoe store called Wallin & Nordstrom in 1901. This company later expands and becomes the US-based department store chain Nordstrom.

Founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge, Sr. in 1908, the flagship store of Selfridge & Co. (commonly known as Selfridges) opens on March 15, 1909, in London. The television show Mr. Selfridge (2013 to 2016) depicted the early years of Selfridges.

The first modern department store by Hudson's Bay Company (later known as The Bay) opens in 1913 in downtown Calgary, Alberta.

In 1915, Vincent Astor develops the concept of an inexpensive, self-service store to buy food and household goods. This is known as the grocery store today.

The 1920s & the 1930s - Let the Good Times Roll ... but for How Long? The beginning of the Roaring Twenties brought rapid-fire growth and prosperity across all industries including retail. Consumers had new-found money and wanted to spend it. Technological developments around the world thrived. Although still bound to family life and domesticity, many women began staking a claim to the freedom that society allowed them. In the US, the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote and a strengthened economy meant more jobs became available. Retailers and advertisers began targeting this "new" woman and the perceived values she upheld. Exciting advancements in fashion, music and culture had a strong influence on societal thinking too.
Highlights of the time:

In September 1924, the flagship Saks Fifth Avenue store opened in New York City, occupying an entire city block from 49th to 50th streets to much fanfare. Today, Saks is a household name and has expanded across North America.

Sears, already well known as a mail-order retailer in the US, opens its first store in 1925 in Chicago.

In August 1930, King Kullen, the first "supermarket" in the world opens on Long Island, New York.

The film industry plays a pivotal role in the proliferation of fashion trends. Hollywood studios and department stores often came together in the 1930s to strategically target potential consumers.

Founded in 1837, luxury Canadian department store chain Holt Renfrew celebrates its 100th anniversary in 1937. The company also begins forming relationships with leading European designers and couture houses; bringing luxury goods to wealthy Canadians.

The 1940s & the 1950s - Shopping for the Nuclear Family: Wholesome Values and White Picket Fences During the post-war period, men returned to the workforce while many women assumed the roles of dutiful housewives. Growing population sizes (thanks to the baby boom) and a recovering economy facilitated suburbanization. Young families migrated to the suburbs eventually prompting shopping malls to prevail. Demand was high for this new way of life and the products that went along with it. To this day, suburbia and the shopping mall are synonymous.

Highlights of the time:

Holt Renfrew hosts M. Christian Dior as he unveils his New Look in 1947. Boasting a highly feminine silhouette, the New Look revolutionized how women dressed in the post-war period. By purchasing garments styled in the New Look - enhanced busts, accentuated waists and voluminous skirts - women were able to buy into a symbol of perfected femininity.

Park Royal, Canada's first shopping centre opens in West Vancouver in 1950.

Sears continues its aggressive growth with 700 stores in the US. Expansion into Canada and Mexico happens soon after.

In 1958, Bank of America launches the first modern iteration of the credit card. This invention has a lasting impact on the way the world purchases.

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The history of how we shop: Charting the evolution of retail

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The process of selling and buying goods dates back several hundred years. The most transformative period arguably occurred at the outset of the 20th century. Journey through the major people, places and events that defined the modern era of retail.

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Tommy Hilfiger Corporate | Tommy Hilfiger Corporate

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Digital Showroom | Tommy Hilfiger Corporate

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Diesel has unveiled Hyperoom, a 360-degree virtual selling platform and exhibition space.

Conceived by Diesel's parent company OTB, Hyperoom resembles the Diesel's physical showroom in Milan. All Diesel's products will be featured in the virtual store through a customised section of the platform, including the Spring and Summer 2021 Collections.

At Hyperoom, customers can peruse the products in 360-degree displays or in 2D closeups with product descriptions.

"One must look for silver linings whenever and wherever possible," says Massimo Piombini, CEO of Diesel, referring to the challenge of the Covid-19 crisis.

"This year has sparked an urgency to accelerate what we can offer and accomplish in the digital space. With this tool we have set a new benchmark for the industry, in regard to digital transformation."

"At Diesel, we aimed to keep as much of the buying's physical element as possible", the company says in a statement. "To digitally recreate the selling process, we have enabled remote buying sessions through enhanced and comprehensive digital assets."

Diesel believes the new virtual-store concept will be a solution for many fashion brands as it not only provides a unique online retail experience but also reduces the amount of clothing samples required at physical stores.

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Diesel unveils Hyperoom, a 360-degree selling platform and virtual showroom - Inside Retail

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Diesel has unveiled Hyperoom, a 360-degree virtual selling platform and exhibition space. Conceived by Diesel's parent company OTB, Hyperoom resembles the Diesel's physical showroom in Milan. All Diesel's products will be featured in the virtual store through a customised section of the platform, including the Spring and Summer 2021 Collections.

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COVID-19 forced brands and retailers to adapt to a new way of working, including how they wholesale their products.

With trade shows canceled and in-person showroom meetings moved online, the perfect solution to streamline your virtual sales process is a digital showroom.

Digital showrooms let you share your collections with a click of a button and schedule virtual appointments with retail buyers. Depending on the software, you can share 3D product images and product videos and accept purchase orders, all within the same platform.

We've all been to more Zoom meetings over the last year than we ever thought possible. But the pandemic has accelerated the digital revolution -and the adaptation of digital showrooms.

In this article, we'll look at what a digital showroom is and digital showroom platforms to consider using. Plus, virtual selling best practices and how brands are getting this new way of selling right.

What is a digital showroom?

Digital showrooms-also referred to as virtual showrooms-are an innovative solution that lets brands and retail buyers engage and sell products through an online platform.

It replaces physical showrooms and trade shows, eliminating the need for a physical location and physical samples to show new collections. Virtual showroom software bridges the gap between the digital and physical worlds.

Brands create and organize new collections, including product photos and details, pricing, and delivery information. Some digital showroom platforms have 3D virtual sampling functionalities, which entirely eliminates the need for physical sampling.

Retail buyers are invited to visit the showroom at a time that suits them. They can explore your new products or collections digitally and then make purchase orders directly in the same platform.

Digital showrooms aren't completely new. But with trade shows on hold, the adoption of this new technology has accelerated. And is likely here to stay.
Image source: McKinsey & Company
According to McKinsey, both B2B buyers and sellers prefer the new digital reality. Around 70%-80% of B2B decision makers prefer remote human interactions or digital self-service.

There are many benefits to using digital showrooms for both retail buyers and brands, including easier scheduling, saving money, sustainability, and safety.

Digital showrooms are used in a variety of industries, such as fashion, beauty, home goods, automotive, and more.

How brands and retailers use digital showrooms

Brands and retailers in the fashion, beauty, and home design industries use digital showrooms to bring the entire sales and buying process online. This makes it easier for everyone involved.

Rather than scheduling numerous physical appointments with retail buyers, brands add seasonal collections to the digital showroom platform. This way, retail buyers can visit at their convenience, view the entire collection, and place orders at the same time.

Traditionally, this would happen at a trade show or a brand's physical showroom during a set period of time, also known as market week. In-person showroom sales require tons of scheduling, and you can only accommodate so many people in one week.

Brands use digital showrooms to expand their reach and streamline the B2B sales process. When the buying process happens online, multiple buyers can view your collection and submit their purchase orders at the same time.

Retailers use digital showroom platforms to discover new collections and complete purchase orders. With this virtual experience, buyers can view and order from various brands without spending an entire day running between showroom appointments.

Digital showroom platforms to consider

There's a range of digital showroom software and platforms available to retailers and brands today. Some have more advanced features and functionalities than others, but they all help streamline the B2B sales and buying process.

Let's take a look at a few here:

JOOR

JOOR is a wholesale and data exchange platform for beauty, fashion, and home goods retailers.

Its digital showroom also serves as a marketplace, as it already has thousands of users. Brands use JOOR to simplify their B2B sales process and to reach new retailers who are already using the platform. The same goes for retailers. Buyers can discover new brands to stock in their store via Joor.

You can show off your products using dynamic video, 3D interactive images, and audio. For example, share a video of your runway show, a video of you explaining the collection, and product performance reviews.

You can also schedule virtual appointments with retail buyers to share details about the collection you're selling. It also has a style board feature so product assortments can be personalized to each buyer during online showroom appointments.

You can arrange your products into specific collections depending on the buyer's past purchases, their region, and other factors to help simplify the process for them.

Creating unique virtual showrooms and curated shopping experiences for retail buyers builds the buyer's connection with the brand. It also leads to more productive buying appointments.

JOOR's new tool, JOOR Passport, centralizes and digitizes trade show experiences across multiple global fashion events.

Its real-time dashboard gives you flexibility and visibility into performance and insights of your business. You can collaborate with your buyers on orders, visualize assortments, and share information with your team, all in one platform.

BrandLab360

BrandLab360 recreates brand showrooms and retail spaces using immersive technology and virtual reality. With its platform, you can create any physical space in a 3D digital format,. Iincluding integrated live voice and video communication that links seamlessly to transactional ordering platforms.

Virtual reality removes many limitations of using a physical showroom or store environment. You can minimize restraints, challenges of space and configuration, and the significant costs related to maintaining a physical showroom.

Each virtual showroom environment can host unlimited users, allowing you to show your products to multiple buyers at the same time. You can also invite consumers and friends to their own private shopping experience.

The advantage of live and interactive virtual showroom appointments is the ability to maintain customer relationships and provide continuity in the sales process.
Image source: BrandLab360
"The fashion industry has been transformed over the past few years by advances in ecommerce and digital marketing, and we will see further significant growth with the introduction of VR technology," says Jennifer Drury, founder and CEO BrandLab360. "Brands have an instant global reach with minimum investment to new markets. And time-poor buyers are able to view more brands and collections than ever before without the need for travel."

Dtail

Dtail is a 3D fashion platform developed by PixelPool. In addition to Dtail software, PixelPool offers professional services such as virtual sample production, virtual environment creation, and one-off virtual selling experiences.

Dtail lets you use 3D virtual samples in the key phases of fashion product development. Its end-to-end solution means that the same virtual sample evolves with the planning, merchandising, and sales process. All product updates are synced.

The purpose of Dtail is not to receive purchase orders but to generate them using the Dtail virtual showroom. Those purchase orders can then be forwarded to existing order intake systems.

Once you configure Dtail, it shows up-to-date synchronized product data from your product lifecycle management (PLM) or enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. You can track updates to your 3D library and add new virtual samples immediately to your digital showroom atmosphere.

"The benefits of virtual samples are documented far and wide and are being embraced by the fashion industry at long last," says Joost Alferdinck, Chief Product Officer at Dtail. "Brands are seeing the true potential of working digitally, especially in these times of lockdowns and closed showrooms. Virtual samples offer great cost and environmental benefits. There is no cost for logistics, no photography, no carbon footprint, and there are infinite available items."

You don't have to wait to photograph samples and update linesheets with Dtail's virtual sampling capabilities. Product samples are available globally in the cloud and usable in a range of connected 3D solutions, like CLO 3D and Browzwear VStitcher. This drastically increases your speed to market.

HATCH

HATCH is a digital showroom that helps you leverage your brand story-something it calls "storyselling." With its platform, you can build relationships and connect with buyers from anywhere. You can streamline selling your brand and telling the story behind each product or collection for more focused and efficient wholesale appointments.

HATCH helps you create engaging B2B experiences while also tackling the inefficiencies and waste of wholesale selling, making it smarter, faster, and more sustainable.

"Sustainability is key for HATCH," says Álvaro Pin, the brand's head of growth. "We've seen the general waste we create around wholesale in order to simply conduct business. Our focus on storytelling and change management is not trivial."

Popular fashion brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Clavin Klein, and Havaianas use HATCH to achieve sample reduction targets.

Launchmetrics

Launchmetrics is a Brand Performance Cloud used by fashion, luxury, and beauty businesses to connect with consumers in a constantly changing landscape. It helps you optimize the use of creative assets and engage with retail buyers, editors, and influencers to amplify your brand and measure performance.

This is done with its proprietary Media Impact Value, an AI-driven technology that lets you benchmark your performance against 2,000 competitors worldwide.

"Physical experiences will remain a major part of the industry," says Alison Bringé, chief marketing officer at Launchmetrics. "However, the true success in the long term will be found in how brands merge both the digital and physical-to create impactful, share-worthy moments both on- and offline."

Launchmetrics' digital events let you create inspiring and engaging experiences that go beyond fashion week or showroom presentations. And its Galleries app helps you continue engagement. Buyers, editors, stylists, and influencers can zoom into products and download the high-res images and videos they need.

Launchmetrics' event data lets you see how many people attended the event versus how many people sent RSVP emails and didn't turn up. You can also monitor who was talking about your event. This helps you understand what worked and what didn't, in order to improve future events and business strategies.

Use the Brand Performance Cloud to package and distribute digital assets to media, influencers, and buyers.

And-if they need them-visitors can request physical product samples directly in the platform.

NuORDER
Image source: Launchmetrics
NuORDER's digital showroom helps buyers and brands collaborate online via its B2B platform. You can showcase products, customize buyer appointments, and digitize your selling process to boost sales.

Buyers can view your interactive virtual showroom by clicking a link that takes them straight to the assortment you want to show. You can share 360-degree product imagery and dynamic videos, and buyers can zoom in for more detailed views.

Use its shoppable hotspots to drop a product hotspot on top of a video or image and the page will be instantly shoppable.

NuORDER's digital planning boards let you collaborate across teams, share ideas, and plan assortments. This way, you and your buyers can visualize collections before creating purchase orders.

6 Examples of digital showrooms done right

1. Tommy Hilfiger

In 2015, Tommy Hilfiger launched its first digital showroom in Amsterdam with the help of HATCH. Its mission to improve sustainability and minimize its carbon footprint meant it had to find ways to reduce physical sample making. Using a digital showroom helped Tommy Hilfiger transform the buying journey and retail value chain through remote wholesale selling and digital product creation.

Since launching its first digital showroom, Tommy Hilfiger has immersed hundreds of customers globally into the world of digital selling. Physical samples have been reduced by at least 65% in most locations and by 80% in its Amsterdam flagship showroom. Now it's easier to create, edit, and buy collections with the click of a button.

2. Diesel

Italian clothing brand Diesel launched its own digital showroom, HYPEROOM. It's a 360-degree digital platform created to engage with fashion buyers online and streamline the purchase order process.

Diesel's parent company, OTB, was involved in bringing HYPEROOM to life and helping to accelerate the digitization of the fashion industry. All of OTB's brands have their own virtual showroom within HYPEROOM. Each keeps its own personality, values, and style in a customized area of the platform.

Retail buyers can immerse themselves in engaging remote buying sessions rather than traditional showroom appointments. 360-degree displays and 2D closeups let them view the products as if they were there in person.

There's a dedicated virtual space for Diesel's denim collections, including videos and high-quality images to show the look and feel of the products.

3. Laude the Label

Sustainable brand Laude the Label used JOOR to power its wholesale growth. Showrooms alone weren't getting the brand's mission across to buyers.

"Laude the Label needed a way to consistently communicate its brand story," says Kristin Savilia, CEO at JOOR. "After moving their wholesale business online with JOOR, the brand saw 200% company growth and 138% retailer growth."

By using a digital showroom, Laude the Label was able to effectively convey the sustainable nature of its products, including how they ethically create fashion.

90% of Laude the Label's wholesale growth was reinvested into the alleviation of poverty and long-term social and economic benefits around the world.
Image source: retail-focus.co.uk
4. Westport Group

Westport Group is a New York-based multi-brand organization. After joining BrandLab360 in 2020, it now operates its entire wholesale sales operation via BrandLabs digital platform.

Westport Group manufactures and licenses for brands such as Timberland, Steve Madden, and Nautica. Since linking its showroom to a completely tailored bespoke B2B ordering solution, Westport has seen a 10% increase in sales from many key customers.

"Feedback from key clients, including large retailers such as Walmart and Saks, is one of the most rewarding outcomes for Westport," says Drury. "Retail buyers commented on how refreshing it feels to meet in a replica of the physical showroom rather than using video conferencing facilities such as Zoom."

5. Havaianas

HATCH helped Havaianas launch its digital showroom, create seasonal content, and train all sales teams in the EMEA region to sell digitally with almost no physical samples.

"It wasn't easy, but the communication, commitment, and drive on both ends made it possible. We're excited that Havaianas had a successful season. This way of selling will be valuable beyond 2020," says Pin.

By going digital Havaianas experienced a 70% decrease in sample costs and a 25% uplift on its future order target compared to last year.

"2020 has been a year of reevaluation and adapting to new ways of working," says Merel Werners, marketing director EMEIA Havaianas.

"We were already considering improving how we use samples for sell-in purposes, but the pandemic was the catalyst for us to go totally digital. Although some physical samples will still be required in certain circumstances, such as innovation, the virtual showroom provides an infinitely more immersive experience and streamlined sales tool."

6. Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode
Image source: BrandLab360
In July 2020, the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode hosted digitally its Haute Couture Week and Paris Fashion Week Men's. Launchmetrics developed a digital hub to bring the industry event online to press, retail buyers, and consumers worldwide. The virtual showroom even accumulated over 19.4 million views on all channels including YouTube, Weibo, and Tencent Video.

"Launchmetrics estimated that the Media Impact Value of the seven days is to be valued at $65.1 million," says Bringé. "The partnership was so successful that it continued in September as well as with Paris Fashion Week Men's."

The benefits of using a digital showroom

Adapting to selling virtually can help you reduce costs, minimize waste on sample making, and boost sales.

Let's take a closer look at the benefits of using a digital showroom:

Reduce costs and improve sustainability

Digital showrooms reduce and sometimes eliminate the need for product sales samples. This is better for the environment and your bottom line.

Traditionally, a brand would make two to 20 sets of salesmen samples. With physical samples, total sampling is dependent on factors like:

The number of regional sales people

Trade show attendance

How many wholesale accounts wanted to hold samples for a few weeks before finalizing their purchase orders

Now that retailers can log in to a virtual showroom and review collections, the need to create physical samples is nearly obsolete. I say nearly because sampling is still required during the development process to fit, test, and approve designs and workmanship of new products. And some retail buyers may still request to see (at least some) physical samples before ordering.

"Virtual samples reduce time to market," says Alferdinck. "They allow for a shorter development cycle so brands can react faster and reduce waste by developing products with a superior market fit. Isn't that what sustainability in fashion should be about? Produce only what actually sells."

Digital showrooms also reduce costs, for buyers and brands, associated with travel to trade shows and sales appointments and with maintaining a physical showroom.
Image source: Paris Fashion Week
Level up your product assortment planning

Once you've built a digital library of products, whether it's via product photography or 3D images, it's easy to start planning product assortments.

Depending on the digital showroom platform, you can search and add products from your library to build assortments that retail buyers can view. Unlike a physical showroom, with a virtual showroom you can do this planning from anywhere and on a range of devices. Then you can collaborate on assortments with your team or present them to buyers.

The major advantage of this is that you don't have to wait for physical samples to start selling your products. You don't have to deal with incomplete sample collections. The days of having to pull together a combination of samples, print outs, and other last minute props to help sell your new collection with buyers is over.

Instead, you get a quick overview of your product assortment and can easily share it.

Go to market faster

Salesman sample shipments are oftentimes delayed from the factory. With virtual samples, you and your retail buyers have full access to your collections right away. You don't need to wait for physical samples to introduce your new collections to the market.

"When samples are less relevant in the process, more and more value unravels across the value chain," says Pin. "This shortens a brand's time to market and eventually helps to solve the imbalance between supply and demand in the fashion world."

Simplify the wholesale buying process and make ordering more efficient

With digital showroom software the entire ordering process takes place within the platform. You can streamline the purchase order (PO) creation process and avoid getting POs in various different formats from each retail buyer. Aggregating orders for production also becomes easier.

It's all in one place.

Virtual showroom software also makes the ordering process easier for buyers. All they need to do is select the products from your product library and add them to their PO. It centralizes product details, letting buyers easily look up style or SKU numbers, color names, fabrics, size range, or delivery dates.

"By selling virtually, you are able to sell to more buyers in a shorter amount of time, and you can bring down the length of your sales window as well," says Alferdinck.

More efficient ordering leads to higher order values, better customer experience, and more time to schedule additional virtual appointments, so you can sell more.

No more rushing from one showroom to another (for you or the buyer) to view collections and make notes. Reduce your average appointment time with a digital showroom.

Use data to boost sales

Most digital showroom platforms organize all of your sales and order data in a user dashboard.

This way you can quickly see which products are selling more than others and which products might not make the cut. You may decide not to produce certain products if there is not enough demand.

Traditionally, in a physical showroom, you'd take notes during each buyer meeting to keep track of the assortment they planned to buy. Then, at the end of the day, you'd see which styles had very little interest. Products with no interest would get dropped from the collection. Or you'd wait to decide after a few more appointments.

Real-time updates in your virtual showroom allow you to act faster and direct buyers to products and assortments that already have proven demand.

Expand your global reach

Many digital showroom platforms also act as a marketplace to help brands and retail buyers connect. More than 12,500 brands use JOOR and over 300,000 fashion retailers across 144 countries connect on the platform every day.

By using a virtual showroom platform, you're able to share your collections with buyers anywhere in the world. You don't need to spend money to set up physical showrooms in their region. This is advantageous when you're looking to expand into new markets and can be beneficial to increasing international sales.

For example, if you're based in California, a buyer from Amsterdam can view your products and make an order from the digital showroom platform.

Your doors are always open

Using a digital showroom platform lets you stay open for business. Your doors are always open to any buyer who has a computer, tablet, or smartphone.

"Editors, buyers, stylists, and more can connect with their favorite brands at any time and any place, says Bringé. "No more needing to wait for office hours or email replies to get your last-minute collection content needs. As the industry knows, what is seen, sells."

Adapt to the times we're in and stay competitive in the future

The pandemic has accelerated the need to go digital for many industries. However, this new way of working has proven to be efficient across many sectors. If you adapt to digital showroom selling now, you'll be in a better position to succeed today and into the future.

"For brands, these efficiencies result in the increase of individual order values and a more efficient and cost effective route to market," says Drury.

"VR not only provides a solution for those faced with the current global health situation, but it has clear potential to improve the industry's environmental impact. Viewing items virtually means less carbon footprint and clothes wastage, with many large brands aiming to eradicate physical samples over the next five to 10 years."

Digital showroom best practices to drive revenue

Pricing structures per digital showroom platform vary, but many have a monthly subscription fee. Some have extra fees to unlock more features. To make sure you get the best return on your investment, keep these best practices in mind while selling virtually.

Set KPIs for your digital showroom

"Brands starting their digital transformation journey should first decide which objectives and KPIs they want to target-what do you really want to achieve?" says Alferdinck.

A few common goals you can consider are to:

Lower the number of physical showrooms you have

Spend less money on trade shows

Decrease the production of physical salesman samples

Reduce development time so you can go to market faster

Increase order values

Reduce unsold stock

Shorten design, sales, and production cycles

Decrease carbon footprint

Define your primary objectives so you can build your digital strategy around them.

Embrace a digital mindset

Changing the way you do business is hard. But adopting new practices to increase productivity and evolve with your industry is key for growth.

"Embrace a digital mindset," says Pin. "There's nothing more powerful to drive smart, sustainable change through great software than believing you can do it. Both as individuals and companies, this is the biggest asset for success."

Invest in brand content

One of the key benefits of a digital showroom is reducing sample making and the costs and waste associated with samples. But you still need to show your collections to buyers.

High quality and detailed brand content is crucial to the success of your virtual showroom.

"Brand content has a direct impact on buyer behavior, so brands should invest in the very best imagery, video, and marketing content, including 360 digital media and 3D assets," says Drury. "Our experience has shown that the more engaging the experience the longer the buyer will spend in the environment, in turn providing higher order values and increased customer retention."

Make your content and the experience engaging by ensuring that buyers can view your merchandise from different angles. Write detailed product descriptions that answer all the questions a buyer may have. Include information about product materials, color options, price, where the product is made, size range, fit, and delivery dates.

Create assortments to spark ideas

Use your digital environment to merchandise collections that retail buyers may not have thought of otherwise. Test different product assortment strategies and share them with buyers and your team to get feedback. The benefit is that you can sort and arrange items easily from anywhere and share and spark ideas immediately.

Let buyers request samples

Many buyers will be OK with adapting to an entirely virtual buying process. However, some-especially those who have not purchased your products before-may still want to see samples up close in person.

Depending on the digital showroom software used, visitors can make sample requests directly in the platform. This is also helpful for press opportunities to increase brand performance.

"By enabling this link between the digital showroom and sample management solutions, brands are able to improve their efficiency and capture the editorial opportunity," says Bringé.

Make the digital showroom experience interactive and immersive

Give retail buyers the same personalized experience consumers now expect from ecommerce.

Use your digital showroom platform to schedule virtual meetings and share assortments with buyers. Let them also share the content with their team.

Dynamic video, 3D images, and virtual samples are used to show clear, stylistic views of your products.

"Rich content captures buyers' attention and allows them to finalize their product selection with confidence," says Savilia.

Integrate with a chatbot or live chat function to make sure you're always available. This allows buyers to reach out if they have questions while they're viewing your collections.

Create an avatar and dress it

While the avatar feature is not yet widely available, once it is, the use of digital models to show your collections can help create a more engaging experience for buyers. For example, if you have a clothing brand, dress your avatar in digital garments to better represent the fit and drape of the products.

Consider regional differences and simplify choices for buyers

Using a virtual showroom helps you expand your reach to new markets. But not all regions are the same and products that sell well in one area may not work in another place.

As you expand to new territories, you can localize product assortments. Create edits and divide products into different categories or themes so buyers can quickly navigate through collections that are relevant to them.

Create engaging presentations around bestsellers, seasonal focus, and your personal favorites to help guide buyers and make the buying process easier.

Moving forward with your digital showroom

With travel restrictions and social distancing measures still in full swing in many regions, digital showrooms are the best way to keep your business moving forward.

They are a way for you to incorporate tech into your marketing and sales strategy and improve the customer experience while you're at it.

The sales and purchasing process is streamlined for both brands and retail buyers, and digital showrooms are advantageous to both retailers and brands respectively.

Want to learn other ways retailers are adapting in this new age of commerce?

Check out how TC Running leveraged the combined power of Shopify POS and Shopify for its online store to do just that.

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What Is a Digital Showroom? 6 Examples & Best Practices to Sell More

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COVID-19 forced brands and retailers to adapt to a new way of working, including how they wholesale their products. With trade shows canceled and in-person showroom meetings moved online, the perfect solution to streamline your virtual sales process is a digital showroom.