Customer Engagement by Fashion Brands

No matter what changes time and technology bring to the world, fashion has its own way of adaptation. In the present times dominated by advanced technology and information, fashion enthusiasts, marketers, and industry are facing challenges and learning to adapt the new. With the increased options of selecting favorite fashion brands through largely available channels and information, fashion customers are equipped today with greater flexibility and understanding; this challenges brands to retain customers. Marketers are using new ways and platforms to engage customers. The chapter focuses on the effective marketing strategies adopted by fashion brands to engage customers. The chapter elaborately discusses the latest technologies and platforms used to engage customers. The chapter attempts to exemplify the effective engagement strategies followed by some of the successful fashion brands. It discusses new techniques in engaging like gamification and the use of advanced analytics for evaluation.

Self-Construals Theory Applications for an Effective Communication of Sustainable Luxury

The next generations of luxury buyers will be increasingly involved in social and environmental issues, gradually asking for more CSR accountability. Luxury maisons, despite recognizing sustainability as a business imperative, seldom communicate their initiatives due to the apparent incompatibility of the two worlds. Past research has demonstrated how the concurrent elicitation of conflicting concepts of self-enhancement and self-transcendence typical of sustainable luxury communication negatively impact brand evaluation. This study investigates how self-construal manipulation plays a role in mitigating the cognitive disfluency phenomenon arising from CSR communication by luxury brands. On a sample of Americans and Italians, three different priming conditions are tested: an independent prime, an interdependent (collective) prime, and a neutral prime. The results of the experiment reveal that eliciting the interdependent self-construal by emphasizing collective concepts prior to the CSR message exposure positively affects brand evaluation via an increase in information fluency.

Recycling and Reuse of Fashion

The chapter examines the role of recycling and reuse of fashion in order to achieve environmental sustainability. The chapter supports its conclusion by various reports that recycling of textile waste can be solutions to many environmental issues caused by fast fashion. However, textile recycling is an old term; in recent years, it has gained attention again due to fast fashion culture in significant parts of the world, which has resulted in overconsumption of textiles and led to waste generation. Waste recycling has become a multibillion industry. New ways are being created in terms of the development of sorting machines, design inputs, and innovative high-value products to make recycling a profitable proposition. The chapter also highlights how the second-hand market of clothes and the internet as a facilitator can help in reducing textile waste.

Sustainable Fashion

Fashion is undergoing a change in its very definition. The global fashion industry has grown at massive rates over the last decade and hence holds the power to influence a multitude of people. Sustainable fashion is one such concept that has influenced the design thinking of various creative heads across India and abroad. The awareness about sustainable fashion makes one realise several forms of sustainablity that can be adapted in a lifestyle. All strategies promoting more environmentally, socially, and ethically conscious production and consumption are important steps towards a more sustainable industry and, hence, a sustainable future. This chapter explores sustainable fashion.

The Impact of Circular Economy on the Fashion Industry

The fundamental changes in technology and globalization have changed consumer preferences along with the way people buy and consume. This change has profoundly affected new business models and consumption systems in all commercial markets, including the fashion industry in particular. Moreover, fashion businesses have begun to shift from traditional proprietary access business models to the sharing economy. The effect of the sharing economy or circular economy on the fashion industry is increasing day by day. Clothing sharing services, recycling, and re-use of used garments contribute to environmental sustainability and contribute to economic and social sustainability through sales revenue and employment. However, there is limited academic research on clothing sharing models. This research focuses on Dolap application, a clothing sharing service. It examines the role of trust in clothing sharing services from a consumer perspective. As a result of the analysis, it was found that trust in the platform positively and significantly affected the trust given to the service provider.

Thread of Sustainability

This chapter aims to look into the current practices of fashion production and consumption and argues for a sustainable model. This model advocates the need of conscious creation and consumption, mindful connection with the community, and conservation of the ecology. It opens up conversations about fetishistic attitudes vs. sustainable practices and how production and consumption behaviors are manufactured in postmodern society. With interpretative epistemological stance, this chapter follows qualitative research methodology to develop an alternative model of fashion production and consumption. This alternative model, ‘C3 Model of Art of Fashion', is the result of a qualitative study conducted amongst artisans, consumers, and entrepreneurs of Kantha.

Influence of Micro-Celebrities on Generation Z

A micro-celebrity is a person who has transformed from an ordinary person to a celebrity. Many organizations use micro-celebrities for advertising their products as they get to reach a larger audience easily. Micro-celebrities not only get popularity but also get to earn revenue; the desire for social media fame is found in many youths (Generation Z) today. The current study throws light on the perception of Generation Z towards micro-celebrities, identifies the influence of micro-celebrities on customer engagement, and explores micro-celebrity as an emerging career option for Generation Z. Major findings reveal that Generation Z follows micro-celebrities to stay updated with trends. Though association with micro-celebrities gives companies better customer reach, the influence of micro-celebrities on the purchase decision is uncertain. Many Generation Z individuals aspire to be micro-celebrities; however, when it comes to a career choice, some prefer to take it as a side hustle.

Transmogrifying to Sustain Stimulating Potency

This chapter focuses on exploring the practical implications of sustainability initiatives effectively through the efficient utility of technology by strengthening the marketing practices and ensuring the ease of sale. This is inevitable for standardizing the marketing practices that are globally acceptable.

Explaining Purchase Intention Towards Eco-Friendly Apparel

Textile manufacturing is one of the polluting industries contributing to approximately 1.2 billion tonnes of toxic greenhouse gases. Due to increasing consumer purchase index, companies are adopting unsustainable means like synthetic fiber and polyester, leaving tonnes of wastewater and other pollutants in order to fulfill customer demand. It leads to deterioration of the environment and causes serious health hazards. The present study addresses the issue of customer purchase intention towards environmentally friendly apparel by using the theory of planned behavior.

Changing Customer Behavior in Sustainable Fashion Industry

There is no doubt that sustainability has turned to a hot issue in recent years for its significant effect not only for the fashion industry but also for several fields. Nowadays, most organizations have shifted from traditional business models to sustainability-integrated business models. However, few studies have focused on changing customer behaviour towards adopting sustainability. In this chapter, the author focuses on presenting the damaging effects of the fashion industry in all phases of production and giving a view on how marketers stir consumers to embrace sustainable fashion in their own lives. This chapter concentrates on quality rather than quantity.