We’re already aware of the significance of eCommerce in the modern business world. However, today’s socially-distant world has not only strengthened that fact but has also proved to be a boon by helping many online businesses survive and thrive.
Most of the brick-and-mortar apparel stores went out of business during the unforeseen pandemic outbreak. Those who were quick enough to switch to online have not only survived but were also able to replicate their pre-COVID-19 numbers.
The apparel industry itself generated upwards of $540 billion in 2019 and is projected to generate over $710 billion by 2022 through eCommerce.
This clearly shows the importance of eCommerce for today’s businesses. While it is especially important for industries like apparel, textile, fashion, lifestyle, and other common industries, it is also essential for industry-specific niches like uniforms, PPE, etc.
In this article, let’s discover why and how eCommerce is the key to succeeding in the apparel industry.
Role of eCommerce in apparel purchases
Wider reach
ECommerce is a powerful tool to not only reach a wider range of audiences, from the smallest companies to the largest organizations but is also instrumental in targeting the right audience for your product or service.
For example, if you’re a uniform provider, you don’t want to target a large demographic and waste time and resources on people who aren’t likely to purchase your products. Instead, using eCommerce will help you in reaching out to the specific audience for your products, which in this case, can be employees of a specific organization.
Market lesser-known niches
Bringing popularity or awareness to lesser-known niches of a particular industry is another important way an eCommerce platform can help your business.
If you think about it, having an eCommerce store for apparel is a common way to sell apparel, however, these days even niches in specific industries are gaining traction by hopping onto eCommerce.
You may consider the example of the uniform industry again. The uniform industry in North America alone is projected to increase to $12 billion by the end of 2025. A large part of this growth is due to eCommerce in the form of online uniform stores and leveraging efficient eCommerce platforms and tools.
Today, we come across eCommerce stores of some of the rarest and lesser-known products like industrial tools, gluten-free food products, PPEs… just to name a few.
Target specific demographics
Ecommerce empowers your apparel business to target and attract multiple demographics in your target audience.
While you may have a target audience, each demographic will need a different approach. What works for the 20-35 age group will not work for the 35-50 age group. An eCommerce portal essentially provides you the flexibility to target based on whichever demographic you’re trying to hit.
Convert visitors into customers
An eCommerce platform today not only allows you to list your apparel but provides you an opportunity to turn site visitors into customers.
You can offer educational and helpful content like “ways you can use the products” or simply providing helpful tips and tricks your audience might find useful. Today’s eCommerce stores are a source for both quality products and content.
Now that you understand the role of eCommerce in the apparel industry is not just limited to listing products, let’s talk about what apparel shoppers look for when visiting online stores.
What shoppers look for in an online apparel store
Today’s online world is filled with numerous apparel stores and it’s very difficult to also stand out from the crowd as well as capture the attention of your audience.
While eCommerce provides the necessary tools and functionality to do exactly this, you need to first understand what today’s shoppers look for when they enter an online apparel store.
Personalized shopping experience
While this is not an option shoppers directly seek from an online apparel store, it’s still an effective way to attract shoppers to your online apparel store.
For example, you can stand out easily from a majority of your competitors by providing exclusive deals to shoppers on their birthdays or as a token of appreciation for being a loyal customer.
Review and product ratings
Online shopping can be quite deceptive when it comes to displaying product images on the website and the difference in appearance or quality of the actual product.
It’s the reason why almost all shoppers rely on product reviews and ratings left by other shoppers. It instills a level of confidence in the buyer before going ahead with the purchase. This also reduces the rate of cart abandonment.
Accurate search results and filter options
One of the easiest and fastest ways to provide your shoppers the shopping experience they deserve through an eCommerce portal is to enable accurate search functionality into your online apparel store.
As the attention span of an average user keeps getting shorter, the need to help the shopper reach their desired product as quickly as possible increases. The goal is to show them the desired product before they give up and exit your apparel website.
Another underrated, but important eCommerce functionality is to provide multiple filter options. You do not want to confuse your shoppers with too many options, so it’s important to minimize the results and display accurate products by providing multiple filter options.
Display top-selling products
Displaying top-selling and popular products right on the home page of your online apparel store or in the search results is a neat way to capture the attention of your shoppers with the best products.
Loyal and recurring shoppers look at this section to quickly make their purchases. It’s a handy way to provide your shoppers with a great shopping experience.
As you can see, all the above-mentioned functionalities and more are only possible through an eCommerce platform making it key to succeeding in the apparel industry irrespective of its niche or industry.