Automating your fashion business – where to start?
There is hardly a human out there that isn’t afraid of change. And changes come in many shapes and forms. What has recently seemed to be a great concern for the entire human nation is the development of Artificial Intelligence and retail automation. Namely, people are afraid of losing their jobs due to machines. But the fact is that digitalization and AI are here to stay. Especially in competitive industries such as fashion, where you are competing with hundreds of similar businesses, and are trying to speed up time-to-market. In such a situation, automating your fashion business seems to be the only logical solution.
Research shows that as much as 47% of digitally mature organizations now have a solidly defined AI strategy in place. They also rely on useful PLM solutions such as the ones we here at Frontech Solutions EU offer. Our offer to you is a simple one – efficiently track real-time data as well as all the aspects important for your business in one place. And all with the help of our PLM solutions for footwear and apparel.
Useful ways of automating your fashion business
As a business owner and coordinator, you are already aware of how many aspects make up your business. And the good news is that a lot of those aspects today offer room for improvement and automation. So that’s why we did our job and created a list of five solutions that will help automate different parts of your fashion business. What we here at Frontech Solutions EU believe is that these solutions will make operations easier for many fashion businesses, with special emphasis on those who dabble in online sales.
1. Introduce automated sewing machines
Even though they are still in the making, robotic sewing machines are already a reality. And even though they are still developing (and the progress in production is made with the help of PLM solutions for industrial manufacturing), they are expected to bring many benefits to fashion businesses, such as:
- Higher reliability
- Fewer variants in garments
- Manufacture products according to the demand
However, as of right now, these machines are far from perfect. It’s very difficult for the machines to comprehend the variability of fabrics and stretch of the materials which is needed for sewing every single piece. Moreover, they are still not ready to sew very complex garments which are a staple of almost every fashion business.
While automating your fashion business with the help of automated sewing machines still isn’t a feasible option, speeding up fashion product development with PLM software is. Our PLM software will eliminate any delays in the development stage, optimizing your fashion business operations.
2. Demand forecasting and prediction
As a retailer, one of the main challenges you face is predicting the exact number of items and units of each item that are needed in local or worldwide stores. Luckily, these days, many AI-powered technologies are available, and demand prediction isn’t such an unthinkable task as it was in the by-gone days. Today, if you want to automate your fashion business, you could start by relying on predictive analytics that will make it possible to forecast the demand and fine-tune the production according to it.
3. Automate your fashion business’ online merchandising
Imagine being able to easily analyze customer trends. How great would it be to know which products are the most popular ones? And how about knowing which ones are performing slightly worse and are in need of a boost? With the automated technologies available to us today, this needn’t be a dream anymore. Because it’s a reality.
Other automated strategies include an analysis of customer profiles. For example, which products were already seen and bought. What this gives us is a completely tailored shopping experience that is sure going to suit your customers’ needs. As a business owner, you hardly have a task more important than that.
4. Generate high-resolution fashion images
Fashion imagery generators are a great way to automate your fashion business and reduce time to market. These realistic virtual models wear any of the clothing pieces of a brand. Furthermore, with this useful tool at your disposal, real-time photoshoots aren’t a necessity any longer. Right now, special efforts are being put towards creating a way to transfer outfits from one model to another. That option is expected to automate the fashion industry even further. And you have to admit how great it would be not to have to organize a photo shoot every time you finish a new fashion line. With this tool at your complete disposal, you won’t have to!
5. Managing product information
Online retailers have always struggled with managing product information. In the first place, retailers have a very big responsibility for populating their catalogs with relevant keywords in order to make their products more discoverable. In fact, this is crucial for convincing customers to proceed to purchase your products. Luckily, many technologies have been delivered which:
- Create product descriptions from already existing data methods.
- Analyze product images and generate keywords from scratch.
With many technologies at your disposal, you stand the best chance of extracting more business value from PLM software and similar solutions. And with so many different options fashion businesses have, you now have a chance to pick and choose. Or implement all of these solutions for automating your fashion business. It all depends on the size of your business, your needs, and budget.
The benefits don’t end there
These days, even automated logistics are a completely feasible option. Thus, if you want to automate your fashion business, be it footwear or apparel one, feel free to schedule a consultation with our team. Our PLM solutions will give you the leverage you deserve by helping you deliver products more easily. Our software will give you full insight into the product lifecycle, as well as the right tools. Become a success story and get in touch with Frontech Solutions EU. Our personalized solutions are at your complete disposal.