It’s hard to imagine the fashion industry today operating without the internet – especially Twitter, blogs and Instagram. Yet, go back to pre-2000s and fashion’s relationship with the online world was completely different. Before the days of Net-A-Porter, Dolly Jones, Editor of Vogue.co.uk said that in the fashion industry ‘the internet still generated general mistrust’.
Glossy publications such as Vogue and Vanity Fair were publishing exclusive content that was inspirational for those who were able to afford it, and aspirational for those who weren’t. In the meantime, developers were working furiously behind the scenes, but technology was yet to fundamentally disrupt the business landscape and consumer habits. For many in the fashion industry, the internet was still viewed as an unknown that would dilute brand identity and threaten exclusivity.
But as the Internet became faster, more efficient and more widely adopted by consumers, fashion retailers began to accept and adapt to the digital opportunities. The online environment offered a fast paced platform that could keep up – and eventually overtake - rapidly evolving high street collections, making fashion more accessible to everyone.
Today, fashion and digital are the best of friends – with more retailers than ever operating online, models “regramming” before they’ve even set foot on the catwalk and fashion brands using content to build relationships with their fans. London Fashion Week saw this relationship evolve still further, with the wide spread use of Twitter’s streaming app Periscope, which allows its users to ‘explore the world through someone else eyes’.
At Tommy Hilfiger’s London Fashion Week show, several taster clips were revealed before the show began. These included shots of the Caribbean-themed set, a peek backstage and interview with the designer himself, makeup artist pat McGrath and supermodel Gigi Hadid. Each stream received 300 to 500 live views and hundreds more replays over the 24 hours they were available for. This informal approach effectively allowed Hilfiger fans the opportunity to be backstage, seeing Fashion Week authentically, through the eyes of the industry.
As demonstrated by Tommy Hilfiger, the internet has provided unparalleled opportunities for fashion retailers to engage with their audiences. However, with growing product ranges and increased consumer touch points, it has become increasingly important that fashion retailers provide the basic content that can help consumers to make informed purchasing decisions.
In order to engage and drive conversion, ecommerce content must be accurate, compelling and communicate your unique brand tone of voice. Whether product or category descriptions, or blog and social content, here are my top tips to consider when producing ecommerce content at scale:
1. Product and category descriptions
Product and category descriptions are your chance to inspire customers at the consideration stage and move them through to purchase. Optimising your product and informational content for SEO will increase the chances that the traffic reaching your site is targeted, and ensuring that content is easy-to-scan, accurate and true to your brand identity will help to deliver a better customer experience, lowering bounce rates and driving conversion.
2. Buying guides, how to guides and product FAQs
Informative content such as buying and how to guides serve two purposes. Firstly, they offer comfort to cautious buyers, providing them with the information they need to commit to making a purchase. Secondly, they help to position your brand as an authority, generating trust between you and your consumers and increasing the chances not just of conversion, but also of brand loyalty and advocacy. These guides should also be optimised for SEO, to ensure that you are engaging with consumers at the consideration phase of their purchase journey.
3. Social and user generated content
Research shows that user reviews can produce an average of 18% uplift in sales, with 63% of consumers more likely to make a purchase from a site that has them. Drive conversion by bringing your products to life with user generated reviews and images. Adding social buttons will help you drive brand awareness by allowing your customers to share and talk about your products.
4. Localisation
56% of consumers feel that the ability to find information in their own language is more important than price. It’s no longer enough to simply display different prices for different countries. Ensure that your content – from product descriptions to information on shipping and returns - is not just being translated, but being effectively localised, capturing both your brand tone of voice and local market nuance. This will help you build a successful customer base in multiple markets, helping consumers further afield feel confident in your offering.
By Ed Bussey, CEO and founder of Quill.
PrivSec Conferences will bring together leading speakers and experts from privacy and security to deliver compelling content via solo presentations, panel discussions, debates, roundtables and workshops.
For more information on upcoming events, visit the website.
comments powered by Disqus