Just when you thought Superman was the only person (sorry, superhero) who needs his outfits delivered on demand and in the blink of an eye, it turns out our youngest shoppers are also on the hunt for a similar sort of service!
Fast fashion – when it’s not to do with Superman and his magically appearing lycra suit – is a fast-emerging trend driven by young consumers who are spending more time searching and buying new fashions online with the expectation they will arrive almost instantaneously.
That’s right, it’s not about the long game anymore for our youngest fashionista’s, and retailers would do well to take notice. A study by Accenture shows the majority of Gen Z fashion shoppers want instant gratification from lightning fast clothing deliveries in an era of social media and style inspiration. The study also says they’ve developed a “see now, buy now, wear now” mentality and they have no expectations for clothing to last. In fact, one in four young shoppers according to the study will wear an item for up to six months while over half will only wear an item for up to a year!
Getting fast fashion equipped
As more and more Gen Z shoppers enter the market, clothing retailers need to seize the opportunity by getting on board with the concept of delivering new threads super quick. So, if you’re a retailer, how do you become “fast-fashion” equipped?
In short, this is about getting the latest and most trendy fashions from the catwalk (or Instagram) and into online stores at superfast speeds. Indeed, the whole idea of introducing new fashions on a seasonal basis is probably not going to cut it for our Instagram-obsessed Gen X’ers who see, buy, and wear.
Keep an eye open and act fast
The goal is to quickly and cost-effectively source or produce items that respond to shifting consumer demands. And the best part, online retailers are in a great position to do exactly that. While web analytics and data can give a solid indication of what’s hot and what’s not (or in other words, what’s still getting those clicks versus what needs to be ditched), it’s also so much easier, quicker and cheaper for online clothing retailers to model and advertise new items. One single image on a webpage can achieve the same, if not more, than bulky clothing racks and life-sized manakins!
Same-day deliveries: The final piece of the puzzle
And there is one other piece of this fast-fashion puzzle. Fast or same-day deliveries, of course! The Accenture study found shoppers today only buy for the present with 60 per cent of young consumers surveyed wearing items within a week of purchase and one in five wearing items the very same day they were delivered. In this world of last minute and spontaneous decision making, (well, you never know when you’re going to get invited to good party) point-to-point same day delivery services like Go People are exactly what clothing retailers will need to officially become fast-fashion equipped for the shoppers of the future.
As it turns out, even the UKs Millwall football team could have done with some fast fashion or same-day clothing deliveries when they forgot their kit – check out the story. That’s right, the entire team had to play an away game in another team’s jersey because someone left the bag behind!