A new report by data analytics company GlobalData suggests that relying solely on marketing and advertising is not enough to drive consumers purchases, instead retailers should prioritise delivering a consistently positive experience at every interaction point to effectively encourage buying behaviour.

GlobalData’s report titled Connected Consumer in Retail and Apparel argues that consumers are increasingly informed about all aspects of products they buy and consume, through both active and passive use of technologies, such as conducting research, using review sites, viewing user generated content, seeing influencer campaigns and adverts and listening to podcasts.

This, the report argues, means that consumers cannot be steered towards purchase by marketing and advertising solely conducted by the retailer itself. It suggested retailers must ensure that the experience consumers have at every point they connect with the retailer is good, leading them to make purchases.

The report highlighted sportswear giant Nike as one of the ‘leaders’ in connecting consumers, highlighting its Nike Run Club and Nike Training Club apps. These boost consumer engagement and immerse users in what the report called “the Nike universe”.

British retailer Marks and Spencer was also highlighted by the report’s authors as a ‘challenger’ in this space. The report noted how the retailer is using user-generated content and reviews of its products.

Inditex-owned Zara’s user-generated content was also noted, as the brand has increasingly used pictures of consumers rather than models on its website and social media. The report said: “By connecting with consumers in this less editorial and more relatable way, retailers can increase positive brand receptiveness, not least because it allows consumers to envisage how they would wear or use products in their day-to-day life.”

The report outlined some key retail trends shaping the connected consumer theme over the next 12 to 24 months:

Country * UK   USA   Afghanistan   Åland Islands   Albania   Algeria   American Samoa   Andorra   Angola   Anguilla   Antarctica   Antigua and Barbuda   Argentina   Armenia   Aruba   Australia   Austria   Azerbaijan   Bahamas   Bahrain   Bangladesh   Barbados   Belarus   Belgium   Belize   Benin   Bermuda   Bhutan   Bolivia   Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba   Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana   Bouvet Island   Brazil   British Indian Ocean Territory   Brunei Darussalam   Bulgaria   Burkina Faso   Burundi   Cambodia   Cameroon   Canada   Cape Verde   Cayman Islands   Central African Republic Chad   Chile   China   Christmas Island   Cocos Islands   Colombia   Comoros   Congo   Democratic Republic of the Congo   Cook Islands   Costa Rica   Côte d"Ivoire   Croatia   Cuba   Curaçao   Cyprus   Czech Republic   Denmark   Djibouti   Dominica   Dominican Republic   Ecuador   Egypt   El Salvador   Equatorial Guinea   Eritrea   Estonia   Ethiopia   Falkland Islands   Faroe Islands   Fiji   Finland   France   French Guiana   French Polynesia   French Southern Territories Gabon   Gambia   Georgia   Germany   Ghana   Gibraltar   Greece   Greenland   Grenada   Guadeloupe   Guam   Guatemala   Guernsey   Guinea   Guinea-Bissau   Guyana   Haiti   Heard Island and McDonald Islands Holy See   Honduras   Hong Kong   Hungary   Iceland   India   Indonesia   Iran   Iraq   Ireland   Isle of Man   Israel   Italy   Jamaica   Japan   Jersey   Jordan   Kazakhstan   Kenya   Kiribati   North Korea   South Korea   Kuwait   Kyrgyzstan   Lao   Latvia   Lebanon   Lesotho   Liberia   Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein   Lithuania   Luxembourg   Macao   Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of   Madagascar   Malawi   Malaysia   Maldives   Mali   Malta   Marshall Islands   Martinique   Mauritania   Mauritius   Mayotte   Mexico   Micronesia   Moldova   Monaco   Mongolia   Montenegro   Montserrat   Morocco   Mozambique   Myanmar   Namibia   Nauru   Nepal   Netherlands   New Caledonia   New Zealand   Nicaragua   Niger   Nigeria   Niue   Norfolk Island   Northern Mariana Islands Norway   Oman   Pakistan   Palau   Palestinian Territory   Panama   Papua New Guinea   Paraguay   Peru   Philippines   Pitcairn   Poland   Portugal   Puerto Rico   Qatar   Réunion   Romania   Russian Federation   Rwanda   Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha   Saint Kitts and Nevis   Saint Lucia   Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and The Grenadines Samoa   San Marino   Sao Tome and Principe   Saudi Arabia   Senegal   Serbia   Seychelles   Sierra Leone   Singapore   Slovakia   Slovenia   Solomon Islands   Somalia   South Africa   South Georgia and The South Sandwich Islands   Spain   Sri Lanka   Sudan   Suriname   Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland   Sweden   Switzerland   Syrian Arab Republic   Taiwan   Tajikistan   Tanzania   Thailand   Timor-Leste   Togo   Tokelau   Tonga   Trinidad and Tobago   Tunisia   Turkey   Turkmenistan   Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu   Uganda   Ukraine   United Arab Emirates   US Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay   Uzbekistan   Vanuatu   Venezuela   Vietnam   British Virgin Islands US Virgin Islands   Wallis and Futuna   Western Sahara   Yemen   Zambia   Zimbabwe   Kosovo  

Industry *   Academia & Education   Aerospace, Defense & Security   Agriculture   Asset Management   Automotive   Banking & Payments   Chemicals   Construction   Consumer   Foodservice   Government, trade bodies and NGOs   Health & Fitness   Hospitals & Healthcare HR, Staffing & Recruitment   Insurance   Investment Banking   Legal Services   Management Consulting   Marketing & Advertising Media & Publishing   Medical Devices   Mining   Oil & Gas   Packaging   Pharmaceuticals   Power & Utilities   Private Equity   Real Estate   Retail   Sport   Technology   Telecom   Transportation & Logistics   Travel, Tourism & Hospitality   Venture Capital  

Tick here to opt out of curated industry news, reports, and event updates from Just Style.  

Submit and download

Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

• Trust and transparency – As the connected consumer is on the rise, it is paramout that consumers trust retailers. This trust is built through transparency at every connection point the consumer has in their experience with the retailer. There can be two sides to this, as trust and transparency do not necessarily have to go hand in hand when it comes to the connected consumer.
  One is through influencer hauls and peer reviews where consumers have gained trust in ordering from retailers such as Shein and Temu. Conversely, a retailer’s lack of transparency can create issues as consumers are hyper-aware of product details. When it comes to connected consumers, retailers are increasingly unable to get away with greenwashing or leading consumers to believe their products are ‘clean’ if they are not
• Passive and active connected consumers – Connected consumers can be both active and passive in their connectivity to retailers and products. Consumers are empowered to be connected through no longer only receiving information through retailer marketing, but being able to look at peer reviews and being educated on what to look for.
  Connected consumers can also be more passive in their connections due to the volume and wealth of content that is available online and is constantly being absorbed by consumers on social media, for instance. As most consumers are constantly connected to a device with internet access, they can be advertised to through platforms such as podcasts and social media, and can also quickly check reviews for a product they see advertised in public spaces, for instance.
• Influencer marketing – When done well, influencer marketing campaigns can be a powerful strategy for retailers and brands to connect with their target consumers, with consumers trusting the opinion of those that they follow and relating to them more than they would a celebrity.
  However, as the success of influencer marketing has drastically increased the stakes in terms of compensation paid by brands to influencers for ads, consumers have become increasingly aware of the financial motivations that may drive influencers to recommend products. Trust and authenticity have therefore become the cornerstones of influencer marketing.
• Personalisation – Connected consumers generally want a more personalised, less ‘appeal to the masses’ approach. Personalisation is a valuable tool for connecting with consumers and boosting sales. Retailers can collect data from online and instore shopping journeys about their shoppers’ preferences and interests and build up a profile of their shoppers.
  This profile can be analysed alongside contextual data for greater insight. The more granular the data gathered on a consumer’s preferences, the better the personalisation, as this gives retailers a greater understanding of what their shoppers want, like, and dislike.
• User-generated content (UGC) – To be more connected to consumers, many retailers are increasingly ultilising user generated content. Utilitising user-generated content is a way for retailers to build trust both with and through connected consumers. As retailer competition is so high, authenticity, and therefore authentic content, is important to retain consumer trust. Consumers are more likely to trust content that comes from customers, employees or loyal brand followers and will notice fake or false content.
  UGC is essentially the connected consumers’ version of word of mouth. By connecting consumers to the retailer’s community and making them a part of that community, retailers can ultimately build loyalty and trust, leading to a higher rate of purchase.

GlobalData’s upcoming webinar will share insights on the apparel consumer priorities, attitudes and behaviours to watch for the rest of this year and beyond.

The session, which takes place at 3pm BST/10am EST on Thursday 18 April, will explore how ongoing economic turbulence on a global scale will impact apparel spending.

By Just Style