Summertime means shopping time
Outdoor is currently one of the leading keywords for shoppers. As summer items have been increasingly in the consumer spotlight in the latest months, brands are exploring ways to give spring apparel a new push
The data collected on the Certilogo platform provide a clear insight into the state of fashion sales in 2020. Although spring items have been mostly unsold, the demand for summer and outdoor clothing seems thriving.
The analysis of authentications of Spring/Summer 2020 products performed by consumers on the Certilogo platform highlights two unprecedented trends for this year:
- The lack of international tourism
- New needs of consumers, driven by the urge to go back to normal life
Summer is indeed that time of the year when to let worries go away, and the authentications related to the vacation season seem to confirm consumers are ready to enjoy their free time.
The issue of international tourism
The restrictions imposed by governments to fight the coronavirus pandemic have halted tourism flows, affecting sales in the most popular destinations. The lack of high-end tourists has impacted luxury sales in particular, since expensive products are often bought abroad to enhance the travel experience. This, combined to lockdown measures that forced stores to close and prevented consumers from spending, has led to a strong decrease in the authentications of SS2020 products - compared to SS2019 items last year - in the leading cities of the European region. However, an increase in authentications has been recorded in those countries where lockdown was implemented at a later stage.
Consumers buy differently
Since their reopening in the second half of May, stores have been mostly relying on local clients only. Given rising temperatures and the need to go back to normal life, enjoying open-air activities after spending so much time at home, consumers have started to favour certain products in their shopping, looking forward to summer holidays. The authentications of specific spring products, such as coats, as well as formal garments intended for an indoor professional lifestyle have decreased. At the same time, summer products and those designed for outdoor activities have been increasingly authenticated.
The specificity of what shoppers buy pushes brands to come up with new strategies to clear their spring stocks. Tommy Hilfiger Apparels has announced that its Spring/Summer collection will be in store until October, at least in India1. Brunello Cucinelli will donate its unsold products from the first six months of 2020 to those in need, collaborating with commercial partners and NPOs in all countries where the brand operates2. Ferragamo has risen prices by 5% to 7% to balance revenue losses3. To find out more about the future of spring product sales, stay tuned to see if consumers will authenticate such items in the coming months.
Sources:
1 The Economic Times, COVID-19 IMPACT: Fashion brands push spring-summer clothing till October to clear inventory (April 2020): https://retail.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/apparel-fashion/apparel/covid-19-impact-fashion-brands-push-spring-summer-clothing-till-october-to-clear-inventory/75203267
2 Il Sole 24 Ore, Brunello Cucinelli, capi invenduti in beneficenza da Berlino a Tokyo (July 2020): https://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/brunello-cucinelli-capi-invenduti-beneficenza-berlino-tokyo-ADPWJKe
3 The Straits Time, Italy's Ferragamo raises prices by 5-7 per cent to stem Covid-19 impact (July 2020): https://www.straitstimes.com/business/companies-markets/italys-ferragamo-raises-prices-by-5-7-per-cent-to-stem-covid-19-impact
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