New York Fashion Week just hit off, and with the new ‘See Now – Buy Now’ model, fashion lovers will be able to immediately order their products – straight of the runway (Saxon, 2016). While some designers are reluctant to implement this model (Hunt, 2016), major fashion icons such as Tommy Hilfiger, Prada and Burberry have made the switch.
The ‘See Now – Buy Now’ model allows customers to buy their items as they are shown on the runway.
This isn’t the first time the Fashion Industry has been affected by technology: e-commerce has been trending, 3D printing has been introduced to make clothes, and social media has been used extensively to promote, rate and share fashion brands.
Traditionally, fashion shows presented in the fall reflect the next spring’s styles (Wallace, 2016). Thus, once an item you adored would be shown during a fashion show, you most likely had to wait until the next season to wear it. With the new ‘See Now – Buy Now’ model, fashion show outfits are transformed into more season appropriate and ready-to-wear styles (Wallace, 2016). Next to that, fashion shows have also become more accessible. Where one needed a ticket in the past to attend a show, live streams now make it possible to see a show from any place (Wolfe, 2016). Thus, new trends are within reach – and anyone can give their opinion on them straight away.
Fast fashion has and will continue to affect to fashion industry (Bhardwaj & Fairhurst, 2010). With the new ‘See Now – Buy Now’ model, fashion seems to be faster than ever. It is only a matter of time before we find out what the impact of the ‘See Now – Buy Now’ model is on the fashion industry.
What do you think? Should the entire fashion industry shift to a ‘See Now – Buy Now’ model, or do you believe its effect will be minimal?
– Hunt, R. (2016). “See Now Buy Now” Or How Digital Is Changing Fashion. [online] Wtvox.com. Available at: https://wtvox.com/fashion-tech/see-now-buy-now-fashiontech/
– Saxon, K. (2016). Digital Revolution Is Changing The Fashion Industry. [online] Wtvox.com. Available at: https://wtvox.com/fashion-tech/digital-revolution-fashion-industry/
– Wallace, T. (2016). Fast Fashion Spurs Need for Change in Fashion Industry. [online] The BigCommerce Blog. Available at: https://www.bigcommerce.com/blog/new-report-proves-unanimous-agreement-time-ripe-change-fashion-industry/
– Wolfe, N. (2016). Will the See Now/Buy Now Fashion Model Really Work?. [online] Harper’s BAZAAR. Available at: http://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/fashion-week/a14343/fashion-industry-changes/
I do think that “see now – buy now” is relevant in many industries, still I do think that Fashion won’t be the most applicable one. Especially given that for clothes it is important how they fit your body type. For other more standardised products it will have larger value. I do agree however that it will affect the fashion industry and we will see “faster fashion”.
However especially in an industry as diverse as fashion there will also always be room for other business models.
I also think that the ‘see now – buy now’ technology will not impact the fashion industry as strongly as other industries. For instance, industries that use visual auction based purchasing methods may find such technology much more appealing, as they can skip communications with the seller.
However in the theme of the fashion industry, I think such a technology can be specially useful in the case of limited or brand new runway designs, as organizers can provide an added value to loyal ‘customers’ by selling these designs on a first come basis (or exclusively) to the attendees of the event.
I agree with Isabel that this type of technology will most likely increase exclusivity in the fashion industry. It could potentially work as a great tool to increase customer loyalty, as well as, brand image. What I was thinking is that “see now-buy now” can still have immense impact in the luxury and accessory part of the industry. The goods sold in this department do not require fitting in advance (you like a purse and you order it).