Milan Fashion Week 2019 is about to start in a few days. The most beloved and awaited event in the world of fashion is going to set the trends that will lead people all around the globe dressing up in the summer of 2020.
Fashion experts can predict and set the upcoming trends in many ways. The most applied method is known as the trickle up, trickle-down and trickle across theory, which focuses on understanding the movement of fashion from different points of view.
But another thing fashion forecasters have to take into account when predicting new upcoming trends is what’s happening culturally to understand the emotional state of where the customer is today and what it will need from you tomorrow.
In the years of social media, Instagram is, in this case, the main channel that has to be analyzed. It resulted to be one of the most influencing channels in the last years, becoming a real vehicle for fashion, design, art and any kind of visual communication.
Instagram provides to fashion brands the real possibility to show their latest collections and give customers the chance to buy with a click. The platform is transforming the fashion industry and education like nothing before: that’s why brands started investing in it since its launch, understanding its potential.
They did well. Instagram can boost your brand, especially in the world of fashion and it is never too late to begin focusing on it.
According to global fashion search platform Lyst’ Year in Fashion Report 2018, Instagram has been defined as a “powerful fashion force, that is setting trends and boosting sales”.
Instagram is the new fashion Magazine
All fashion world is on Instagram. It almost looks like Instagram has been made specifically for fashion brands. The platform is all about pictures, images. About appearance and visuality. And that’s why fashion naturally fits in the Instagram concept.
In the past, brands would spend a high amount of money on advertising and promoting their new collections in famous worldwide known magazines.
The focus on visual advertising continues to be the core of all brands but the medium where their messages are spread changed to digital platforms, such as Instagram.
How your fashion business can profit from Instagram
The benefits of Instagram for a fashion brand go far beyond a matter of visibility and brand awareness. The platform itself offers many advanced options for the so-called “business accounts”, which can also boost sales on your eCommerce.
Let’s have a look to the main advantages of using Instagram.
The power of microinfluencers
We already explained the power of a microinfluencer strategy for different kinds of business. But when talking about fashion brands, this can become one of the most efficient methods to connect with your fans and potential ones in the future. And Instagram is a real heap of possibilities.
Beyond big stars, musicians, footballers, and singers, micro-influencers are the real kings and queens of Instagram. They can hit the right target, create engagement among the brand or product they talk about and make it perceived as reliable.
Influencer marketing works particularly well for the fashion industry because of its mainly visual core. Influencers will be able to make your product look more real and closer to their followers, so that they could become then new fans of your brand.
Just think about when you see a picture of your favorite Instagrammer wearing a nice dress drinking a mojito in a nice beach bar. Now compare it with a commercial ad where a famous and beautiful model is wearing the same beautiful dress.
How do you perceive that product in the two different situations?
Simple as a “Swipe up”
Up until late 2017, Instagram was really bad at driving traffic on a website: the only way was the unique link you can put in your bio. Individual posts could not drive people directly from the platform to a specific web page, and neither stories.
Since Instagram stories were launched, they have always been absorbing the viewers.
Now the power of stories could only be boosted and enhanced with a good and captive design, which still be an essential element if you want to stand out from the crowd and catch the attention of your followers.
But last year, Instagram launched the feature which is enhancing the potential of this platform for businesses: the “Swipe up” option.
This feature is essential for fashion brands. It satisfies the “I see it, I want it, now” need that characterizes nowadays consumers. As soon as the new feature was launched, brands raced to take advantage of it and they immediately noticed positive results in the traffic collected on their website.
Followers tend to engage with brands they follow on a regular basis, often more times per day, feeling more and more connected with them. Adding a link to the content they see in a story and allowing them to even go deeper into what they see is the icing on the cake.
This new feature happens to be an excellent way to forge and tighten relationships between brand and followers.
Found it? Want it!
Traffic on your website is not the only thing that will increase by using Instagram. To be a successful eCommerce, you need to rely on website traffic that leads to conversions: and that’s exactly what you can also improve.
Statistics are clear about that: 60% of users discover new products using Instagram. The “I saw that on instagram” is the new “My friend recommend me that”.
The gap between the moment when I see an interesting product and the purchase action is equal to zero now, thanks to the possibility to create shoppable posts.
Once you create your catalog, you can easily tag your products on your posts: by doing it, you will add a direct connection between the world of Instagram and your brand outside it.
Share your expertise with IGTV
One of the latest news that Instagram launched last year was the introduction of IGTV, a dedicated section of the platform where accounts can share long-form videos in portrait mode and full screen.
IGTV can give to fashion brands the possibility to share their expertise through more long and detailed contents.
People love the opportunity to get a glimpse behind their favorite brand’s scenes. Thanks to interesting videos, a fashion brand can stand out from the crowd, giving more importance to content and news they share. By doing this, they will have the possibility to make the material more valuable and appealing to users, being perceived as reliable and experts in their field.
Your fans are your best promoters
People love to take selfies. Millennials are expected to take more than 25,000 selfies in their lifetime, which comes down to be more or less one snap a day. Moreover, people love to share their selfies and pictures. And could there be a more perfect platform than Instagram to upload pictures and selfie?
No… and that is another good reason why Instagram is the best place where to focus your fashion brand growth on. Your brand’s fans can be your best ads and, thanks to the search by hashtags, you can have access to plenty of contents directly distributed by your fans. Use them as your brand ambassadors to make your products perceived as closer to your customers’ life and make them feel part of the message you are sharing.
So, what’s the point?
The conclusion of it is that a fashion brand can’t avoid opening an Instagram account. Otherwise, its brand will be penalized since the beginning.
Your fans expect to find you on Instagram and want to follow your updates. Your website may be successful but consumers are not visiting your eCommerce as often as they use Instagram or other social media.
That’s why fashion brands need to focus their attention on this platform.