Facts and Go Figure
Never before has there been a medium that is so measured and so readily measurable as the Web. Web site visits and purchases are automatically compiled, and e-commerce sites know right away what works and what fizzles. These built-in self-monitoring features result in unprecedented market intelligence and are part of a kind of primitive consciousness that responds and adapts to the stimuli it encounters.
Writing in the online news source TechExchange.com, sponsored by [TC]2, a member-driven, not-for-profit organization and sourcing portal devoted to supply-chain technology solutions for the apparel, textile and home furnishings industries, Brian Beck of Yourfit.com Inc. lends a perspective on a recent online marketing report by the respected Forrester Research Inc.
According to the report, online apparel sales exceeded $1 billion in 1999 and are expected to skyrocket to over $22 billion this year.
“Growth will result from the combination of an increasingly large number of online consumers and the proliferation of online retailers,” the report states. “Apparel will grow rapidly and will soon account for 11 percent of U.S. general apparel sales.”
Furthermore, Forrester predicts that 9 percent of women’s and men’s standard-size apparel purchases, 13 percent of women’s petite and plus-size purchases, and 21 percent of men’s big and tall purchases will be made over the Internet this year.
While this would seem to represent a burgeoning opportunity for special-size online apparel retailers, perhaps these projections are skewed by a “self-consciousness factor” that predisposes special-size shoppers to favor the privacy of their desktops over the intimacy of a bricks-and-mortar dressing room.
Beck’s perspective, understandable given the software technology that his company produces, is that there is “a need for an online fitting solution.” That may be so. Accurate online garment sizing, with compelling 3-D presentations, is still in the development stage.
But other data from the Forrester report command attention. While some 28 percent of online apparel shoppers who did not make purchases said they were “unsure of accurate sizing,” 18 percent did not buy because “returning [the] item could be a problem,” 14 percent were “unsure of [the] quality,” and 14 percent were not amenable to delivery costs.
In other words, the sizing issue remains but one among many. We hope the much-anticipated SPESA Expo in Miami Beach, Fla., May 18–20 (www.spesa.org), will present other potential solutions.
Site Review: 100 Percent Pure Cotton
Cotton Inc.’s Web site, www.cottoninc.com, goes beyond the conventional B2B industry portal. It’s more than a resource; it’s a gift.
For designers and manufacturers, it’s a great place to conduct sourcing escapades. The Cottonworks Fabric Library shows you the way to any kind of fabric construction imaginable. Its searchable directory connects you with suppliers worldwide and sources offering products composed of 60 percent cotton or more.
Offline, the library is designed to be a one-stop resource center for manufacturers, designers and retailers, offering valuable consulting services and real fabric samples from offices in North Carolina, New York, Los Angeles and international locales.
Fashion and trend reports abound at the Web site, although coverage favors the New York shows (and the city’s fashion purview) over many others.
For the garment consumer, there’s the “Ask Norma” series idea, which came about when readers began e-mailing questions about fabric care to the Webmaster, said Richmond Hendee, Cotton Inc. vice president, marketing services. “We would send them to our Fiber Quality research team, headed by Norma Keyes, for the answers, and the mantra ’Ask Norma’ was born,” he explained.
Cotton Inc.’s consumer site, www.thefabricofourlives.com, launched in July 2002 to provide style ideas, trends and information about fashion, decorating, gifts and fabric care. The site has an excellent click-through rate to partner retailers and is expected to receive an estimated 1 million visitors in 2004, according to the Web site.
To summarize, www.cottoninc.com does just what an ideal B2B Web site should do: It provides information in a functional, clear setting. A variety of special interests are served through “opt-in” e-mail alerts. No registration or fees are required, resulting in superior industry and consumer public relations.
It’s smart, informative, easy and contemporary.
