It was only a decade and a bit ago when people were looking at online shopping saying “it’s convenient, but it’s certainly not for women’s fashion.” Why not?
For many retailers, the fear was women rely too heavily on the ‘try before you buy’ model of fashion purchasing and they are too afraid to make such purchases based on a pixelated and two dimensional internet photo. However, the odds have been beaten and several online retailers have come up with the formula for success. By making returns easy, delivery costs free, prices competitive and international fashion available at every woman’s fingertips, the three retailers discussed in this article have risen to the top of the industry.
Online Fashion Giants
1. ModCloth
ModCloth started as an outlet for founder Susan Gregg Koger to sell off some of the vintage pieces she had rescued out of op-shops and garage sales by hand,. This success story was boyfriend-turned-husband Eric Koger’s attempt at cleaning out her closet. With a great website design under their stylish belts, the pair decided to get serious about making ModCloth their career after graduation from Uni in 2006. A truly organic progression saw Susan going from gatherer to hunter as she shifted her attention to sourcing hip new trends and designers that still kept within her beloved vintage aesthetic.
Unique ModCloth Features
This is one fashion site that feels more like going to a fashion-themed garden party picnic rather than a tedious online shopping process. A cleanly laid-out website is nicely complimented by an online fashion community, free shipping on orders over ‘X’ amount of dollars, an excellently selected range of fashion items (shoes, accessories, vintage, home, etc.), the innovative ability for shoppers to vote their favourite styles back to life after sell-out, and the opportunity to put in your two cents on which new designers you’d like to see sold on the site, it’s a fashion site for the people.
2.) ASOS
This international online fashion giant might not sound familiar to you but if you work in an office anywhere in the world, you’ve noticed women carrying around the distinctive silver packages and wondered ‘what on Earth are they all ordering?’ With cutting edge fashions, fast shipping and a global presence, it’s tough work to dig a bit further and learn about the wizards behind this changing room curtain. An early industry player, the UK company ASOS, was founded in 2000 and has held hands with fellow rising star Facebook most of the way.
Mastering Social Media Marketing
Launching new online microcosms, launching new language and country options several times a year, the site today thrives on clever, simple and low-cost marketing campaigns. A perfect example is their use of a ‘Christmas Jumper’ photograph campaign to generate buzz about the site, which incorporated Facebook and Twitter (and reached an audience just shy of 1.5 million people). This is one site that knows just how valuable word of mouth marketing can be, which is easily generated through clever use of social media.
3.) The Iconic
Launched less than two years ago, The Iconic is a relatively new player on the scene yet still already one of the top online fashion retailers in Australia. With a foundation of steel, this towering player has shot straight to the sky grounded on the backs of five industry co-founders and backed by a European agency. These guys noticed how Aussie women were suddenly going overseas for all their fashion needs and wanted to bring their buying back home.
What They’ve Got?
Catering to a specifically Australian aesthetic, they are offering what Australians have never enjoyed before like same day shipping and fashion that follows Australian trends – making the buying process less hit and miss.
Sharon Freeman is a blogger and freelance author. Since ‘07 she has been creating great content on the latest fashion trends for companies like http://www.indigo8.com/.
