What do we do if we're looking for an outfit for an event, with no time to go shopping and sat in an office all day? A quick google search and we’re faced with a multitude of online retailers with hundreds of options for us to scroll through. Where does this leave us? Still as confused as before and losing hope in ever finding anything.
So how exactly do we find a retailer that suits our style and what we like?
Fashion is the number one most purchased genre when it comes to online sales, with brand empires such as Boohoo and Missguided continually growing in popularity and sales. What originally started as independent online retailers have grown into household names and there is one key factor in this; social media and influencer marketing.
Influencer marketing is renowned for its impact on fashion e-tailers, with brands collaborating with influencers to capture a wider audience across the vast world of social media. It only takes a quick scroll through Instagram’s explore page to find an influencer who has recently published a sponsored post. But how does this work?
⅔ of shoppers purchase clothing online (statistics from Mintel) for a number of reasons:
- It is more convenient for the consumer, allowing them to shop on their chosen device from anywhere at anytime.
- It saves time as searching for a specific product is easier and no travel needed.
- There is a greater choice of items available.
- The consumer can take advantage of cost savings due to regular online promotions and deals.
Brands can also benefit from a larger online presence as:
- They have increased visibility to a wider audience.
- They make cost savings due to no shop overheads and fewer staff wages.
- They can gain access to a vast amount of data including sales patterns and engagement on certain products.
- There is an overall increase in sales as the majority of shoppers tend to shop online.
However, it takes a lot more than a website to be a successful online fashion brand. You need to master the art of social media to accompany your online presence. Studies have shown that user generated content is 20% more influential than any other type of media when it comes to purchasing and is 50% more trusted. This kind of information is invaluable to brands and is the reason why influencers can are key to a successful digital strategy.
Influencers have already spent the time building a particular audience, so as a brand, finding an influencer who has a similar target audience to you means you don’t need to do any of the searching for yourself.
Brands such as Missguided have shown how beneficial influencer marketing can be, with their sales for the financial year ending in March 2017 standing at a staggering £206 million. Their ever popular hashtag has influencers and regular consumers using #BabesofMissguided in order to be featured on their site and gain exposure online. A company that in 2009 started off with no stores and little following has grown into one of the biggest success stories of online fashion retailers, and the perfect example of how successful influencer marketing can be for a brand.
The saying ‘people buy from people’ is coming into play even in the online market, without any face to face interaction, through influencer marketing. To go along with this online fashion retail is only going to continue to grow dramatically with a 14% rise projected in women's fashion sales.
It’s expected that more and more will recognise the strength influencers and develop their influencer marketing strategies. Here at The Blogger Programme, we specialise in connecting brands with influencers whilst working with some of the world’s most popular influencers of today, and scouting for tomorrow's new talent.
Get in touch atbrands@thebloggerprogramme.comand receive a free influencer marketing proposal today.
TBP x
