Apparel & Accessories Archives | Bazaarvoice Fri, 17 May 2024 12:56:08 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.1 Taking Shape https://www.bazaarvoice.com/success-stories/taking-shape/ Wed, 15 May 2024 16:28:32 +0000 https://www.bazaarvoice.com/?post_type=success-stories&p=51784 Global fashion retailer https://www.bazaarvoice.com/success-stories/global-fashion-retailer/ Mon, 12 Feb 2024 13:33:31 +0000 https://www.bazaarvoice.com/?post_type=success-stories&p=49625 Brooks Running Australia https://www.bazaarvoice.com/success-stories/brooks-running-australia/ Wed, 20 Dec 2023 14:52:13 +0000 https://www.bazaarvoice.com/?post_type=success-stories&p=48226 Apparel industry trends research report for 2024 https://www.bazaarvoice.com/blog/apparel-industry-trends-research-report/ Wed, 16 Aug 2023 16:42:06 +0000 https://www.bazaarvoice.com/?p=44819 From athleisure wear to shopping via social media, we wanted to know what consumers are saying about their apparel-buying habits. So, we surveyed 24,000 global shoppers to learn about the latest apparel industry trends.

One of the biggest apparel-related changes to come from the pandemic era? What people wear. 38% of people agree the pandemic changed the way they dress in social settings, and 35% agree it’s changed the way they dress for work. 

And while some folks have reduced their spending during recent economic hardships, 28% of respondents said they’re still shopping just as much as normal. 

But what are people buying, and where are they buying from? And where are they getting their inspiration and influence? And what actions to apparel brands need to take to win over future shoppers?

Apparel industry research: Key trends and takeaways

Our survey consisted of 24,000 shoppers from USA, UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and Spain, segmented by age group:

  • 18-24
  • 25-34
  • 35-44
  • 45-54
  • 55-64
  • 65+

A small percentage (14%) opted not to give their age bracket. Now, let’s see what they had to say and the key takeaways for you to grow your apparel brand.

1. A majority of consumers will reduce at least some spending during hardships

In our current economy, many Americans are cutting back. According to Fidelity Investments, this year is “the year of living sensibly” amid consumer financial hardships, with over 40% of folks saying inflation is a top financial concern for them. 

72% of consumers said they reduce their spending to some extent during periods of budgetary or financial pressure and 51% stated that they cut back on certain things but not others. This selective approach suggests consumers prioritize their expenses based on their perceived importance or necessity. Just 21% of respondents reported reducing their spending across all categories.

When it comes to the apparel industry specifically, the data shows us a noteworthy trend: only 6% of consumers said that they don’t reduce their spending on clothing at all during budget cuts, suggesting a majority of consumers will adjust their apparel spending in some way during times of financial hardship.

Out of the respondents who reduce their apparel spending, 49% say they reduce it “a bit,” while 46% say they reduce it “a lot.” 

2. More people still buy apparel in-store than online 

Despite the convenience and accessibility of online shopping, 58% of consumers stated that they tend to shop for apparel in-store rather than online. 

However, the research process plays a crucial role in consumers’ purchasing decisions. Approximately 61% of respondents engage in online or social research before making a purchase (whether they end up buying through an e-commerce platform or in-store). 

When you break the data down by age-specific demographics, the numbers are slightly different. Among consumers 55 and older, just 43% said that they engage in online or social research (for 18-to-34 year olds, that number jumps to 76%).

The takeaway for retailers? With research being important to many folks, it’s important to make sure your product pages are comprehensive and up-to-date. 

Shopping on social is gaining traction

The majority of online shoppers tend to mainly shop on either retailer websites (65%) or brand websites (58%). 21% of consumers said they also shop on social media for apparel. For folks who shop on social media, they primarily buy from Instagram (23%), Facebook (22%), and TikTok (13%). 

Digging deeper into the social shopping trend, the reasons behind these apparel purchases vary. 30% cite their liking for how the clothes looked in the social media posts, while 24% appreciate the ease of the online shopping experience.

For example, Like2Buy allows brands and influencers to curate a list of products and promotions for their followers. When a person or brand wants to share those products, they can simply share their Like2Buy link (or keep it in their bio), so shoppers can find exactly what they’re looking for and be taken directly to the product. Talk about a seamless, convenient experience!

Other factors that influenced buying decisions included recommendations from friends or family members (17%), effective ad targeting (13%), and influencer promotions (12%).

3. Over half of consumers trust UGC content over brand-generated content

User-generated content (UGC) — social images, product reviews, and videos created by an individual rather than a brand — is slightly dominating the apparel industry, with over half (54%) of consumers trusting UGC over brand-generated content. 46% of shoppers say they trust brand-generated content most.

Overall, 65% of consumers said it’s important to look at UGC before making an online clothing purchase. Looking at age-specific data, 85% of 18-to-34 year olds said it’s important to look at UGC content versus 46% of those aged 55+.

For in-store purchases, the numbers take a dip: 73% of 18-to-34 year olds and 33% of people 55 and over say they look at UGC before buying. 

Where do shoppers find this content? Respondents said they primarily come across UGC on:

  • Retail websites (35%)
  • Brand websites (34%)
  • Browser search results (27%)
  • In-store displays (22%)
  • A friend or family member’s social feed (20%) 

UGC isn’t just a nice-to-have to please shoppers. From our own network data, we see apparel brands who utilize UGC achieve a significant positive impact on their revenue.

Age demographics clearly have an impact on apparel industry trends because when we look at what inspires and influences shoppers, there’s clear disparities between age groups.

For example, among 18-to-34 year olds, 53% stated they find inspiration in products they come across on social media. In contrast, only 8% of individuals aged 55 and older reported being influenced by products they see on social media. We see a similar pattern for influencer blogs — 21% of 18-to-34 years olds get inspiration from influencer blogs compared to only 2% of the 55+ age group.

Interestingly, it’s window shopping that still holds sway with older consumers. 47% of people over 55 indicated they find inspiration in products they discover while window shopping. (Only 29% of individuals aged 18-to-34 rely on this traditional method for inspiration.)

The influence of friends and family remains strong across all age groups, with approximately 33% of respondents finding inspiration from, and being influenced by, their close connections. This underscores the importance of personal recommendations and the power of word-of-mouth in shaping consumer behavior.

For those who find their inspiration on social media, the primary sources are everyday social media users (55%), a brand’s social media (48%), social media influencers (47%), and celebrities (28%).

5. Sustainability and second-hand shopping has slightly declined

Sustainability and eco-friendliness often play a role in today’s consumer purchasing decisions. When respondents were asked how important sustainability and eco-friendliness are when purchasing clothes, 57% said they’re “important” or “very important.” In the same apparel industry trends research we ran in 2021, 69% of shoppers had the same sentiment. 

40% of respondents said they don’t pay attention to whether a brand is sustainable or fast-fashion. Rather, they make clothing purchases based on personal needs and preferences. 27% stated they buy clothing from both sustainable and fast-fashion brands, and 18% expressed a specific preference for purchasing sustainable clothing.

However, sustainability and second-hand shopping are other categories with significant differences between age groups. In looking at the data, it’s clear younger consumers prioritize sustainability and second-hand shopping more than older ones.

Age groups differ on sustainability and second-hand

  • 66% of 55+ individuals said they “never” shop second-hand on platforms — only 26% of 18-to-34 year olds said the same
  • 43% of individuals aged 18-34 reported shopping second-hand “very often” or “often” compared to just 11% of folks aged 55 and older

Additionally, 50% of the 18-to-34 age group reported they’ve purposely purchased clothing made from sustainable materials compared to 26% of those aged 55+. And 57% of 18-to-34 year olds said they would pay more for clothing made from sustainable materials versus 35% of the 55+ age group.

When asked about the reasons behind their second-hand purchases, several key motivations emerged. Saving money ranked as the top reason, with 59% of respondents identifying it as their primary driver. Other factors included the desire for more environmentally sound choices (38%), the fact that high-quality clothes are more affordable this way (38%), reducing the demand for fast fashion (29%), promoting sustainable fashion (29%), seeking more unique items (27%), and recognizing that second-hand items often last longer (23%).

To encourage consumers to purchase more sustainable clothing, brands can adopt various strategies. Our respondents suggested that brands:

  1. Offer discount vouchers (52%)
  2. Provide gift cards (32%)
  3. Offer extra loyalty points (32%)
  4. Give more details about how and where the products are made (29%)
  5. Provide clear labeling with appropriate ecolabels (24%)
  6. Make donations to a good cause when sustainable clothing is sold (22%)
  7. Disclose the supply chain and environmental impact data (17%)

While some of these responses are monetary or reward-based, several aren’t — showing it’s not just about the cost. 

Another industry trend among environmentally conscious apparel consumers is clothing rentals. Before 2020, only 13% of folks said they’d used a clothing rental service. Now, that number is up to 62%. By age groups, 61% of 18-to-34 year olds said they’ve used a clothing rental service, while 42% of 55+ individuals said they have. 

6. Shoppers still want athleisure and casual clothes more than other categories

The data from this year shows us that athleisure and casual clothes are still just as popular as they have been over the last few years. 

When shoppers were asked what categories of apparel they spent the most on in the past 12 months, 59% said casual wear, and 37% said casual footwear. 

Casual wear also dominates the social e-commerce landscape, accounting for 60% of purchases. Sportswear follows closely behind at 41%.

The comfy-clothing trend applies to second-hand shoppers, too: Among the folks who purchase second-hand items, 62% said they primarily purchase casual wear. Other popular categories include children’s clothes (29%), party attire (29%), special occasion clothes (27%), luxury wear (25%), office wear (23%), and maternity clothes (13%). 

For the people who subscribe to clothing rental services, comfort is a priority — 36% say they rent casual wear. They also rent special occasion clothes (37%), party wear (34%), luxury clothing (34%), children’s clothing (28%), office wear (28%), and maternity wear (21%). 

7. Consumers prefer personalization when shopping for apparel

When asked if they prefer a personalized experience from brands and retailers (e.g., recommendations, using your name, or offers tied to your interests), 41% of shoppers said yes, while 36% said no. Breaking down the responses by age groups, more than half (57%) of 18-to-34 year olds prefer personalized experiences from brands and retailers, whereas only 24% of individuals aged 55 and above shared the same sentiment.

Keep this in mind as you serve your Gen Z and millennial customers since personalization matters to them. 

We also asked shoppers about their preferences for customization services like monograms or custom tailoring. 50% of people said they would not pay more for these types of services. Of the shoppers who would pay more, it would most likely be for clothing customized to their exact body measurements (27%), custom styling (19%), custom tailoring (18%), fully customizable fabrics (13%), and custom wording or monograms (9%). 

8. Nearly a quarter of shoppers are interested in smart clothing

Smart clothing refers to garments equipped with technology to monitor the wearer’s physical condition or location. These kinds of clothes are gaining traction, especially among more active shoppers and outdoor enthusiasts. When we asked consumers if they’d purchase smart clothing, 24% expressed an interest, while 53% indicated they wouldn’t — 24% said they weren’t sure. 

Among those who did express interest, 37% were aged 18-34, while 11% were 55 and older. 

In terms of specific features, respondents identified a few types of smart clothing that would pique their interest. If you’re looking to get started on the smart clothing industry trend for your apparel brand, the top preferences include clothing that:

  1. Auto-adjusts temperature (54%)
  2. Tracks physical strain to aid in recovery (42%)
  3. Monitors stress levels (41%)
  4. Tracks heart rate (40%)
  5. Monitors UV exposure (39%)
  6. Has its location tracked (27%) 

Three-plus years since the onset of the pandemic, shoppers are still gravitating toward comfortable clothing. Clothing standards for both work and social settings have shifted — casual clothing is much more acceptable now, even in some corporate settings. Today’s consumers are looking for versatile pieces that can seamlessly transition from professional to casual environments.

But looking forward, we’re also seeing social media evolve from being simply a place of inspiration and influence to a place where people can directly purchase clothing items. Remember, over 20% of consumers said they use social media as one of their main channels for clothes shopping.

And UGC can help boost your social sales: 47% of 18-to-34 year olds said that it’s very important to look at user-generated content before they buy clothing online. UGC is authentic and relatable to your followers, and it allows you to curate your content so it resonates with them. Apparel brand EziBuy saw a 325% increase in revenue per visitor with UGC and clothing giant GANT utilized UGC to reduce return rates by 5%.

To learn more about the e-commerce trends we’re seeing beyond just the apparel industry, watch our on-demand masterclass from award-winning CMO Zarina Stanford: Commerce trends and predictions: The winning formula.

Bazaarvoice is the leading UGC platform, and we help companies transform their online brand and marketing strategies with user-generated content. Request a demo today to learn how. 

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The Athlete’s Foot https://www.bazaarvoice.com/success-stories/the-athletes-foot/ Sat, 18 Mar 2023 09:54:08 +0000 https://www.bazaarvoice.com/?post_type=success-stories&p=42391 Fashion influencer marketing: How to stay au courant https://www.bazaarvoice.com/blog/fashion-influencer-marketing/ Mon, 13 Jun 2022 10:10:00 +0000 https://www.bazaarvoice.com/?p=29039 Influencer marketing has swept the fashion industry. The recent Netflix hit Emily in Paris makes light of this fact, albeit in a way that doesn’t quite tackle how influencer marketing really works in the fashion industry.

But influencer marketing is much more than that show suggests. Influencer content has replaced the billboards and two-page magazine spreads of the past as the central marketing tactic for many brands. Fashion influencer marketing can make or break a brand in the social media age we live in.

Here we’ll take a look at the innovative influencer tactics that fashion brands of all sizes are using today to grow their customer base, foster trust, and sell their products.

Chapters:

  1. What is fashion influencer marketing?
  2. Why fashion influencer marketing matters
  3. How to create your fashion influencer marketing strategy
  4. How 16 brands run fashion influencer marketing campaigns
  5. Find your influencers

What is fashion influencer marketing?

Influencer marketing is a type of marketing that promotes a brand or product using endorsements and product placements in exchange for payment. Usually, influencer marketing takes place on social media platforms. It’s how unknown brands become huge and compete with — or even eclipse — established giants like Nike and Victoria’s Secret.

It’s especially prevalent for the beauty and apparel industries. We recently surveyed over 14,000 global consumers to find out how they’re shopping on social. For every industry (apart from food and beverage), consumers are shopping more on social media than in-store. But for beauty and apparel, the homes of fashion influencers, social media is overwhelmingly the favorite.

Source: Bazaarvoice social shopping survey

This is how influencers like Christian Garcia have dominated the fashion market through social media, where he has 600,000+ followers on Instagram. His followers use his account as a place to keep up with fashion and beauty brands, and he’s even able to boast appearances from celebrities like Megan Trainor and Bhad Bhabie. A young rap artist, for those unfamiliar. 

Why fashion influencer marketing matters

In fashion, influencer marketing is particularly vital to brand awareness, conversions, and greater profits. It makes up 86% of the total earned media value of the top 30 fashion brands. 

Today, influencers who were once in a paid-post relationship with their brand have now become product collaborators.

This past year, Forbes states digital marketing strategists determined that “micro” accounts — or small influencer accounts — were just as profitable for fashion as macro accounts. That’s because the smaller accounts connect more deeply on a personal level with their followers. This means their interactions will be more impactful since the influencers are seen more as popular peers.

Image source: Bazaarvoice influencer strategy webinar

The numbers speak for themselves. In 2021, the market size of global influencer marketing was valued at a jaw-dropping $13.8 billion (more than double what it was in 2019). And according to Globe Newswire, it could reach $9.2 billion by 2026.

This fast growth is spurred by millennials’ and Gen Z’s heavy reliance on fashion influencers. Half of social media users between the ages of 16 and 34 report following fashion influencers, which is more than any other industry.

Fast fashion brand Boohoo has seen excellent results by investing in influencer marketing. The company pays celebrities to promote its products through Instagram to an audience of 16- to 24-year-old fans. As a result, its profits doubled.

Benefits of using influencers

Influencer marketing benefits brands in a number of ways.

  • Builds trust with your audience especially Gen Z and millennials.
  • Grows revenue because customers are more willing to buy from people they trust.
  • Increases brand awareness and engagement. Influencers are doing the heavy lifting in terms of creating content and cultivating a community.
  • Helps you glean customer insights, like customer sentiment.
  • Flattens the sales funnel. Customers are discovering brands and buying products as a direct result of influencers.
  • Helps you reach new demographics. Micro- and nano-influencers can introduce your brand to niche audiences.
  • Helps luxury brands become more approachable with authentic content created and shared by someone your audience already knows and likes.
  • Generates a new need for products. Fans and followers are interested in what influencers like, so they may consider a product that they never previously wanted.
  • Enables you to quickly connect with customers when trends change, like the post-pandemic loose-fit jeans below.
Fashion influencer marketing
Image source: TikTok

How to create your fashion influencer marketing strategy

Before beginning your search for a fashion influencer, you’ll need to come up with a strategy.

Determine your campaign objectives

You’ll need to decide exactly what you want your campaign results to look like. This could mean driving brand awareness, discovering/appealing to a new audience, driving engagement, or gleaning customer insights. You will also want these to be measurable. One of the benefits of marketing through social media is that the measurements will always be at your fingertips.

Choose the channel

Where is your target audience hanging out? You’ll want to choose an influencer who has a large, engaged audience on that channel. This may involve doing some research to determine what medium your audience uses. You will need to gather demographic information about your audience, such as age, gender, race, location, and more, to help you know what social media channel they are using.

Decide how you want influencers to promote your brand

Post pictures, videos, reels, and live events on social channels. Highlight the brand by tagging it or using branded hashtags, wearing the brand in a video or at a class, mentioning it on a podcast, or repurposing influencer content on owned channels like your website and emails. Each of these methods can have different benefits. For example, posting pictures and videos can hit a wider audience over a longer period of time, while live events can be very personal and create a strong connection with your audience.

How 16 brands run stellar fashion influencer marketing campaigns

16 brands might seem excessive. Admittedly there’s many examples to follow. But one or two isn’t enough. You need to take in enough visuals to paint the overall picture of what other brands are doing. You need to see options so you can narrow down the type of influencer you want in your strategy. Because the right influencers are integral to successful fashion brands.

Here’s our favourite examples of fashion influencer marketing tactics to try for your own brand.

Feature influencer content in email marketing

Social media is the obvious choice, but many fashion brands now feature influencer content in their email marketing campaign. Do it like DWS and include fun design elements or text overlays.

Fashion influencer marketing

Don’t forget to credit the influencer with their social handles.

Dedicate a landing page to influencer picks

Publish influencer content on a dedicated page of your website. Like Loft, you can include influencer picks and preferences and a link in your main navigation.

Fashion influencer marketing
Image source: Loft

Using images of influencers on a “style assist” page can inspire your audience with new style ideas and purchasing suggestions.

Fashion influencer marketing
Image source: Loft

This will help you fill in content and make your brand seem more authentic. Plus, online customers will feel like they are receiving real stylist help even though they aren’t meeting someone in real life.

Advertise on influencer-led podcasts

Advertising on influencer-led podcasts helps brands reach a younger audience that dislikes traditional ads. Conair has been advertised on Off the Vine, led by former Bachelorette and Bachelor contestant Kaitlyn Bristowe.

Image source: Instagram

The podcast has 195k followers on Instagram, and Bristowe herself has 2M followers, so having her read the ad carries the potential to reach and influence a massive audience.

Make it easy for influencers to sign up

Once you’ve identified a fashion influencer marketing strategy, you need to find influencers that align closely with your brand and values. One easy way to do this is to include a straightforward signup box for ambassadors to join the influencer program. For example, Conair includes a link to its signup box in the footer of its website.

Image source: Conair

Glow Recipe does something similar with its Glow Pro Program. It’s a partnership between the brand and professional makeup artists and estheticians. Glow Pro gives these professionals product discounts and early access to new products, in addition to featuring their work on the brand’s social channels.

Discover everyday influencers

You should encourage everyday users to drive brand engagement through user-generated content (UGC). When your fans want to find you or share their UGC, make it very simple to do so by posting your branded hashtags in your bio, as Conair does.

Image source: Instagram

Branded hashtags carry an added bonus: your influencers will all send your followers to the same location.

Partner with celebrity influencers

Conair also partners with famous influencers to create co-branded products and campaigns like this Wild Primrose one with influencer @sazan and the @scunci and @walmart brands.

Image source: Instagram

The brand went on to partner with singer/songwriter @ashleysuppa, whose band @plushrocks has 29.6k followers on Instagram.

Image source: Instagram

Partnering with micro-influencers like this can help brands connect with new, niche audiences.

Create compilation videos on TikTok

Once you’ve collected some compelling UGC, you can compound the influence of a handful of users by creating a compilation video on TikTok. For example, Conair combines different user-generated videos and review posts into one ad.

Image source: TikTok

To extend your reach even more and have fun with a slightly different tone, create an alter ego TikTok account like @conairman that comments on the regular brand posts.

There’s arguably no better platform for fashion influencer marketing than IG. If you feature influencers on your home page, link their image to your product page where shoppers can purchase what the influencer was wearing, as Nothing New does.

Image source: Nothing New

This approach also encourages new social shares when you suggest a branded hashtag.

The Marks and Spencer brand also created a strong Instagram presence by posting trending styles on its main website, then tagging the influencers who originally styled and posted the image.

Image source: M&S

Invite influencers to write guest blogs

Besides visual content, influencers can also assist your brand in writing guest posts for your blog. For example, Primary (a children’s apparel brand) posted a blog written by guest contributor Amelia about the ways families can celebrate Earth Day.

Fashion influencer marketing
Image source: Primary

This type of guest post works well because the influencer has an engaged, niche audience of 7.7K followers on her Instagram, @mtnmamatales, that is interested in her content and will flock to Primary’s website. She also offers engagement via her Outdoor Family Chat Facebook group, camping books, camping courses, as well as her own blog, Tales of a Mountain Mama.

Tag an expert

Below, Sephora has taged Sephora Collection National Artist @helenkphillips. In the same post, it features (and tags) different branded products like @fentybeauty Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint.

Fashion influencer marketing
Image Source: Instagram

Tagging experts and complementary brands helps to increase your own brand awareness and authority.

Create co-branded products with a celebrity

Partnering with celebrities that fit your brand’s values and target audience is always a strong strategy. They may endorse your brand and wear your products publicly, where they’ll be noticed and mentioned in the media.

Celebrities may even help you create a new co-branded product, like Nike’s co-branded sneaker with LeBron James and Kylian Mbappé. The brand posted and tagged the celebrities on social media with videos of kids playing sports while wearing the shoes.

Image source: Instagram

Additionally, Tiffany & Co. partnered with K-pop star Roseanne Park, letting her redesign some of its fashion lines to create and model her own #TiffanyHardWear line.

Image source: LinkedIn

Tiffany & Co. tagged other influencers and creators on Instagram to showcase the HardWear designs, such as this post where it tagged the jewelry designer Elsa Peretti.

Image source: Instagram

The post even includes a link to the designer’s official shop, and both include a branded hashtag to encourage more UGC.

Use TikTok transitions

TikTok’s transitions make it easy to showcase multiple items quickly, and it’s a tactic that’s perfectly suited for fashion influencers. For example, influencer Elizabeth Pehota posted this TikTok to showcase Elie Tahari tops.

Fashion influencer marketing
Image source: TikTok

Create TikTok challenges

Brands can also take advantage of popular TikTok challenges to discover new audiences and seem more approachable. Videos related to the #chanelchallenge have earned over 5.8 billion views. In it, creators like @ingyinkhine55 choose seemingly random and/or secondhand pieces of clothing to put together an outfit.

Image source: TikTok

The end of the video shows snapshots of a photoshoot where the creator models the outfit like a Chanel model. Similar challenges exist for other luxury fashion brands like Dior and Gucci.

Assemble an all-star cast for outfits

Lesser-known brands can gain great exposure from influencers who pair pieces from multiple brands, like this post from @janetgunngratefulgardenia.

Image source: Instagram

In the post, she tags each item’s brand like @elietahari and includes popular hashtags like #ootdinspiration (meaning “outfit of the day” inspiration), which inspire fashion aficionados and help them discover brands.

Curate a best-seller box

Collaborate with other brands to create a best-seller collection. To celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, Glow Recipe partnered with eight other AAPI-founded beauty brands to create a curated best-seller box and shared its unboxing on social media.

Fashion influencer marketing
Image source: TikTok

The strategy created an opportunity for each brand’s audience to discover other brands. It was also an effective way to show solidarity with other founders and the AAPI community — for each box purchased, Glow Recipe donates $10 to organizations that support the AAPI community.

Pursue media mentions with influencer content

You probably already know that influencers mention brands on TikTok and Instagram. But they can also give brands some extra social proof by mentioning them in articles they write for magazines like Insider.

Image source: Insider

In the above example, writer and aesthetician Emma Freece recommends 10 different beauty products, including brands like Glow Recipe, which is featured in the main image. Freece also posts how-to videos, hauls, reviews, and unboxing videos on TikTok, where she has 78.3K followers.

Answer common questions

Influencers can offer authentic and trustworthy responses to common customer questions about a product or style. For example, Sephora launched #SephoraSquad in 2019 through the paid ambassador marketing platform Fohr. One of the Squad members, @rochellemoncheri, posts Stories, Highlights, and Reels on IG, answering common questions like “How do I avoid flakey foundation?”

Fashion influencer marketing
Image source: Instagram

The above post earned over 3k likes. This is a natural way for influencers and brand ambassadors to provide value for current and prospective customers while also creating engaging content for the brand.

Focus on shared values

Besides generating how-to content and tips, successful influencer programs like Vuori’s spread a brand’s purpose through a focus on shared values like sustainability and community. Its partner athletes and fitness enthusiasts share what they like about Vuori.

Image sources: Instagram

Additionally, the brand features community leaders who share their values of creating positive change, like ICU nurse @adleyparriott.

Image source: Instagram

Due to authentic marketing tactics like this, Vuori is competing with big names like Nike and lululemon.

Inspire everyday users

Thanks to the oversaturated ad space, everyday users crave authenticity. One way to appeal to them is by inspiring them with inclusive messaging, as Savage x Fenty has done.

Image source: Instagram

The brand’s body-positive messaging clearly resonates with and inspires everyday users. In fact, its TikTok haul videos have earned 334.1M views.

The brand is closing in on becoming the market leader in women’s lingerie, thanks in large part to inspiring UGC as well as paid partnerships like the one above.

Lean on famous influencers for rebrands

If your brand needs an overhaul due to changing trends or media backlash, lean into fashion influencers to recast your brand in a positive light and take your marketing in a new direction.

Victoria’s Secret missed the boat on body positivity, and multiple TikTok videos portrayed the brand negatively. To recover, VS partnered with influencers like Megan Rapinoe, Eileen Gu, and Paloma Elsesser to rebrand itself as more body positive and inclusive.

Now users are posting UGC on Instagram, modeling products in more inclusive shapes and sizes.

Image source: Instagram

The rebrand seems to be working. Now VS is focused on comfort with a new Love Cloud Collection.

Embrace augmented reality

Augmented reality (AR) isn’t just for serious gamers — now it’s infiltrating the fashion world. American Eagle partnered with @dressx to celebrate Earth month with digital jeans. In the campaign, everyday users were encouraged to purchase digital jeans and use an AR app to try them on — including a water superpower. Then the users received their photos via email so they could share them on social media.

Fashion influencer marketing
Image source: Instagram

This technique engages tech fans and sustainability-minded users while helping them create interesting social media content.

Find your fashion marketing influencers

Finding your influencers is essential to reaching your brand’s market. So you need to know how to reach out to them. These influencers can engage current fans and expose your brand to new audiences. Now that you know the benefits of fashion influencer marketing, reach out to everyday users who are already posting UGC. Or partner with an agency or platform that handles this.

If you don’t want to spend time searching or don’t know which influencer directory is the best one, start with ours. BV’s Sampling program puts your products into the hands of an influencer with an engaged audience. In exchange, you receive authentic UGC for use across multiple channels. What are you waiting for?


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Isabella Oliver and Baukjen https://www.bazaarvoice.com/success-stories/isabella-oliver-and-baukjen/ Mon, 14 Feb 2022 13:48:36 +0000 https://www.bazaarvoice.com/?post_type=success-stories&p=23247 Le Col https://www.bazaarvoice.com/success-stories/le-col/ Fri, 14 Jan 2022 10:26:43 +0000 https://www.bazaarvoice.com/?post_type=success-stories&p=22304 GANT https://www.bazaarvoice.com/success-stories/gant/ https://www.bazaarvoice.com/success-stories/gant/#respond Thu, 17 Jun 2021 20:47:18 +0000 https://www.bazaarvoice.com/success-stories/gant/ https://www.bazaarvoice.com/success-stories/gant/feed/ 0 The 101 on UGC: Apparel https://www.bazaarvoice.com/resources/the-101-on-ugc-apparel/ Mon, 19 Apr 2021 14:20:41 +0000 https://www.bazaarvoice.com/?post_type=resources&p=15670