The Only Way for Apparel Brands to Thrive

It's tough out there in 2025. Here's a key strategy to improve your apparel business and get growing.

The apparel industry is in a long-time, rolling siege. Over a few decades apparel brands and fashion retailers went from being profitable, growing entities to an industry that is gasping for air. Clothing prices are in a race to zero. Apparel retail is an extremely competitive, high overhead, low-margin business today. ?Is there any good news for your apparel brand in 2025?

Here are some historical turning points that created the downfall.

Starting in the 80’s, retailers began hiring their own design staff and took on the overhead of product development, chasing private label margins. Design is a poor relation in most retail organizations second to merchant staff.? The result is widely a boring safeness, a lack of brand clarity except in some unicorn retailers like Lululemon, Anthropologie, J Crew in its heyday or some of the luxury brands. Dull assortments don’t spur full price conversion.

Ecommerce came along in the 90’s and expanded an already overstored brick and mortar environment.

Since the 90’s brands have battled fast fashion companies like Zara and H+M. Things got worse in 2002 when Amazon started selling clothes. In 2008, Shein was born and recently became the largest apparel retailer in the world. They have a formula that brings apparel prices down to a whole new level. Why would a cash-strapped Gen Zer shop anywhere else?

Covid was a devasting turning point for the apparel industry. Wearing comfortable athletic clothes flattened any remaining decorum or occasional differentiation left in dressing.

The Best Strategy to Survive & Thrive in 2025

Here is the key strategy for your apparel (or consumer brand) to thrive in this industry devastation.

By asking your organization a simple question. What are the benefits of buying our brand? The old, what’s in it for the customer? If your team doesn’t have a clear answer, you have a big problem.

Does it impart wealth or status to the buyer? Does it save money or make shopping easier? Does it make the customer feel sexy? Does it capture attention, imply coolness or solve a problem? Will the customer be more comfortable or look better? These are some possible benefits, not to be confused with features like 100% Tencel, sustainable fabric or made in the USA. If you can’t identify your benefits, you are likely struggling to survive.

Clear brand identity is the best way to have pricing power and succeed in the Shein era. A distinct brand tells the customers what benefits to expect when they buy from you. This is the value you create. Value creation gives your apparel or consumer business relevance to someone. Does your value align with your target customer’s?

Value should be demonstrated in every touch point with the customer. Here are some important ways to express your brand value.

How to Create & Show Value to The Customer

Know Your Customer – Develop customer personas. It’s critical to know your customer’s demographics, lifestyle and what he or she values. Without this knowledge you are wasting money developing products and marketing blindly.

Enterprise, ecommerce, advertising and marketing software you most likely have, has rich analysis tools. Many already incorporate artificial intelligence to understand customer shopping patterns, demographics, search, social media and sizing. Review the available data and zero in on the key metrics for your company to watch.

When you know who she is, you can save money by targeting her with relevant products and brand storytelling.

Product development - Design products with a clear understanding of the customer and how she benefits from buying your products. How do they fit into her life?

Marketing - Make sure copy and visuals in all your marketing channels imply or express your value, including social, ads, emails, website, instore décor and packaging. Lifestyle photos are one of the best ways to imply your value to customers. Use AI tools to personalize and analyze marketing campaigns. Be careful when using AI for blog and email content. It’s about quality messages not quantity. A human needs to review AI content for valuable and inspiring storytelling.

Ecommerce – Write clear product descriptions that showcase benefits, as well as product features. Single view photos are a no-no. Don’t be limited to static thumbnails. Lifestyle photos are key for value storytelling. Invest in multiple product images to show a range of views and uses relevant to your customer. This has the added benefit of lowering returns.

Write “benefit-rich” copy on the site and blogs. Create well organized menus to help customers find things quickly. For instance, in addition to saying “tops”, create additional menus implying benefits like Night-Out Tops, Power Jackets, Feminine Tops, Easy Sweats, etc.

Train associates – Create collateral to teach employees, new hires, instore and customer service associates the value your brand offers.

Knowledge is power. Build a better brand and get growing. Understand your customer and fulfill her needs.

Stephanie Bernier - Creative & Strategic Consultant ???????????????????????????? for apparel, retail & consumer product companies

Dix& Pond Consulting?????? www.dixandpond.com???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????[email protected]

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