In the ever-evolving world of uniform eCommerce, there are new trends to follow each and every day. But, it's not enough to know which trends are trending (nailed it) these days. Just because they're happening doesn't mean they automatically make sense for your uniform business. That's why in this blog article, we’re going to help you decide if a uniform trend is for you or not. Let’s get started.
Tip #1 - Keep Track of Industry Influences & Publication
Like I said, knowing what uniform trends will be a good fit for your unique business requirements will often come down to knowing your own customers, verticals, and competitors – backward and forwards. There are several things you can do to evaluate industry trends and make the right move for your B2B/B2C business.
One thing you can do is follow blogs and related news in the uniform industry, so you can stay on top of what's happening and current. Start by finding uniform influencers and trade publications related to uniforms specifically, and then branch out into other markets to get the whole picture.
It also may be helpful to research available eCommerce software that's in the market right now just to gauge how it works, what's new, what software is leading the industry, and so on.
Tip #2 - Assess Customer Behavior w/ Digital Tools & Analytics
Use customer data to evaluate if a trend is right for you. What do the numbers show? Many trends might work for other businesses, but you know your customers best. Consider utilizing more than one data gathering tool so you can see customer trends from different sources. Use these numbers to see the overall trends in your business. Would adopting a new trend interrupt your customer behavior? Would it encourage further interaction and higher engagements? All of these are worth considering.
Tip #3 – Get Feedback from Customers
Don't be afraid to ask current customers what they need from you. Getting feedback from current customers can offer insights into trends, and you can create more specific plans for the future. You never know, a customer might even suggest an idea you hadn't thought of yet.
Introduce new uniform products or accessories that they've been asking for or what compliment the garment catalogs they already offer in their online stores.
Tip #4 – Decide How To Implement
Simply go over your business objectives to determine how you want to implement these trends, consider employing the use of an eCommerce platform to employ these trends. You can choose to create your own eCommerce platform or have one made for you. Either is a viable option.
Conclusion
If you’re a retailer, subscribe to new manufacturer catalogs and start offering new products to your customers. If you’re a manufacturer, get your product catalogs exposed to new retailers. Members of the supply chain have to grow together if the uniform industry is going to continue to thrive in 2021 and beyond.
Start employing the use of APIs to bridge different applications together. Technologies like Brand Syndication allow the uniform business to go-cloud based. Retailers can access and subscribe to the catalogs of new uniform manufacturers at the click of a button and likewise, manufacturers can expose their catalogs to 1,000’s of retailers all at once.
You can also future-proof your business with uniform e-commerce to help accelerate time-to-market, too. Whether a trend makes sense for your business or not, now is the time to future proof your business and what new features and functions are out there to help carry your business forward into the new eCommerce landscape.
For more information about the Future of eCommerce or what exciting new trends are emerging in the world of uniform provision, check out the latest webinar we here at SellersCommerce presented at this past NAUMD event: https://naumd.com/webinars/recordings/.
