Dipo Olowookere
The fashion industry is a very competitive one. There is always someone new designing clothing with a new look. Keeping a collection on the cutting edge and selling to customers is a problem. How can a fashion company track what products are selling well and which ones should be discontinued and replaced with better-selling items? Technology is the way to keep a company running smoothly and on the leading edge of fashion sales.
How Is Technology Used In Fashion Manufacturing?
The clothing manufacturers use technology such as a product lifecycle management system in clothing design, sourcing of materials, collaboration, and supply chain management. The technology available online can help manage stocking and manufacturing processes and tell a company where their product is being marketed and sold and how successful each location is. They can find out what population demographic is buying their fashion products. Companies can also manage their bookkeeping and finances with the software.
The footwear, accessory and clothing industries are dealing with complicated and ever-changing global markets. Customers are demanding smart, up-to-date, personalized, and sustainable products at competitive prices. Companies must also keep track of their competitors. Fashion trends change often, and what is selling well one month may not sell at all in a few months.
The advantages of using technology in the form of product lifestyle management programs include:
- Product lifecycle collaboration with everyone in the design, production, and sale of the products. A single source of information for material supplies, size and measurement charts, designs, colour palettes, and other information brings unity to a company.
- Reducing the need for the physical sampling of every material used in the fashion design and manufacturing process. Virtual collaboration and viewing of samples will save time and reduce mistakes.
- Using this software can make it possible to shorten the time from initial design to getting fashions to the market and customers.
- Centralization of a fashion manufacturer’s operations is easier. When one set of cloud-based software is used by all parts of a company’s manufacturing process, a company can run more effectively with all the parts having an easier time communicating.
The Impact of New Technology on Fashion
All areas of the fashion industry have been improved or affected by technology. Product production has been made easier, faster, and smoother. The new production methods using technology benefits customers as well as manufacturers. It helps with reducing manufacturing waste and costs.
With modern technology, clothing and fashion brands can increase their reach or influence and reach more markets than in the past. They can use websites and social media to get the word out faster and further when a new collection is being introduced.
Technology helps fashion companies research the market and find the materials to use in a new collection faster. Then, they can find out what their potential customers prefer and what trends are strong and which ones are ending.
Fashion manufacturers and retailers can have websites that let customers see new outfits and what they might look like on them using avatars on site. The software on websites can help customers customize their fashion choices from home. This is an advantage when many customers are shopping more from home because of the pandemic and other reasons.
Fashion retailers and manufacturers who embrace the new technology can keep up with today’s customers and grow their businesses.
