Apparel Supply Chain Needs New Ways of Survive Post-covid-19 Era

The pandemic has plunged fashion and retail sales like nothing you've seen prior. The apparel industry knowledgeable an unprecedented drop popular, impacting its entire supply chain. To emerge out of this crisis, the industry needs to make supply chains more flexible, demand-driven and sustainable. It requires to create more investments in knowing consumers’ desires and belief, says McKinsey article.

Post COVID-19, consumers are showing greater desire for virtual conditions, and digital commerce. Also, they are opting to shop for brands that are additional mindful of customers’ demands. To understand customers’ current psyche, brands have to invest in data cleverness and find digital and analytical capacities to track customer’s sentiments.

Brands also need to revamp the working styles of product design and advancement teams. They have to adopt agile procedures that enable their teamApparel supply chain desires new ways of survive post COVID 19 users to work autonomously but remain coordinated with one another. This might help them promote conversation between all involved departments such as customer knowledge, planning, sourcing and merchandising.

As the final decisions on sample approval, color or fitting of the garments remain made by brands, they have to develop new 3D fittings equipment and arrange video conferences with their suppliers. In addition they have to bring product development clubs closer to suppliers to increase processes and make decisions.

Increased collaborations with suppliers may also help brands and retailers internalize their production functions, thus reducing lead times, increasing versatility and bringing better control more than the work-flow of product creation.

Although pandemic has increased demand for comfortable clothes, there is also a growing demand for elegant outfits for rare social gatherings. This has led to increased collaboration between vogue labels and luxury makes for classic garments. Drop in consumption can be increasing the purchasing ability of buyers who can now spend money on luxury brand pieces that were earlier unreachable for them.

Brands and retailers need to adopt digital approaches by identifying technologies like complex analytics software program, AI-powered demand forecasting and assortment optimization, 3D style and fitting tools, virtual sampling, machine learning found in production setting up, automatized warehouse and robotized fulfillment, Blockchain technology, etc.

Brands also need to shoot for a sustainable source chain by ensuring good and ethical manufacturing practices, origin sustainable fabrics and recycleables, lower consumption and inventories amounts and reduce waste. In addition they need to make natural short-term goals and at the same time come to be ambitious in the long term. They need to be honest and transparent with customers about their environmental and different initiatives.

Supply-chain is driving the outfits industry to adjust to the changing demands of the new markets. To achieve this changing scenario, brands need to adopt new strategies to build brand equity and emerge as industry leaders.