The retail industry plays an essential role in business since it enables commercial organizations to deliver products to the final consumer. The purpose of channels in fashion retailing cannot be gainsaid since it facilitates the sale of goods and services. The existence of several channels serves to enhance the experience of consumers since it improves convenience. Recent trends show that fashion stores have adopted Omni-channels in marketing their services with Farfetch Company using the approach in their retail format.
To begin with, additional channels in retailing have a positive impact on customers with enhanced loyalty being an obvious benefit since consumers tend to purchase their goods using different mediums. To illustrate the point, a client can navigate the company catalog using either the website, mail or telephone that will result in customer loyalty since the client is bombarded with various marketing platforms (Kruger, 2015). Further, the use of apps leads to improved customer loyalty since online tools can be used to evaluate the products on offer before a customer visits the store or even order for the products virtually (Brynjolfsson, Hu, & Rahman, 2013). Evidently, a seamless transition between the different retail mediums employed leads to customer loyalty due to the improved efficiency (Beck & Rygl, 2015). The additional channels, for example, social media are used to generate traffic on the main sites, which enables the business to bridge the gap between online and offline mediums.
One of the most critical aspects of additional channels in the fashion retailing includes analytics which enables an organization to evaluate consumer trends leading to personalized advertising. The approach has been exploited to develop customized marketing which the company can use to enhance the experience of the patron significantly (Rowell, 2013). Again, business analytics can be used in product development since the firm can deduce the fashion trends preferred by patrons at any particular moment. In relation, business analytics can help an organization to reduce operational costs since the firm can evaluate the mediums mostly used by their target market. Consequently, there is no point in wasting funds in channels not frequented by clients.
The scope and reach of multichannel are extensive, which enables an enterprise to increase its customer base. Fundamentally, the virtual realm is not limited by borders due to the international nature of the tool. Therefore, the company has employed online channels that include websites and mail to conduct business leading to an exponential growth in the number of clients (Verhoef, Kannan, & Inman, 2015). In fact, most transactions are currently done on the web since customers can view, order, and pay for the preferred products. The development of the online mediums is creative, which is used to attract the attention of the user that might result in a sale.
Financially, the employment of additional channels in the fashion retail market has led to enhanced bottom lines within most firms since the other channels lead to more business conversion with the Farfetch being no exception. The more extensive customer base leads to enhanced sales that in turn have a positive effect on revenue generation in the company (“Women’s Fashion – Designer must-haves for 2018 – Farfetch”, 2018). As mentioned earlier, customized marketing reduces wastage of funds in promotional campaigns that are not backed by scientific research, thus saving the organization money.
Distribution channels play an essential role in the delivery of products to the final consumer, which is part of the marketing mix. In this regard, the company has employed different online mediums where customers can access product offerings that include mail, websites, and telephone calls, thus enhancing the element of place in marketing (Hübner, Kuhn, & Wollenburg, 2014). In today’s business world, patrons seek convenience while shopping, which has been positively influenced by the additional online channels.
- Beck, N., & Rygl, D. (2015).Categorization of multiple channels retailing in multi-cross and omnichannel retailing for retailers and retailing. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services. Retrieved from http://phavi.umcs.pl/at/attachments/2017/0321/083952-2015multi-cross-i-omnichannel-2015-super.pdf
- Brynjolfsson, E, HU, Y., & Rahman, M. (2013).Competing in the age of omnichannel retailing. MIT Sloan Management Review.
- Hübner, A., Kuhn, H., &Wollenburg, J. (2014). Last mile fulfillment and distribution in omni-channel grocery retailing: A strategic planning framework. Catholic University Eichstätt-Ingolstadt. Retrieved from http://www.msu.ac.zw/elearning/material/1428251407LAST%20MILE%20APRIL%202015.pdf.
- Kruger, J. (2015). Omni-Channel shoppers: An emerging retail reality. Think with Google.
- Rowell, J. (2013). Omni-Channel retailing. Repec.Org. Retrieved from ftp://ftp.repec.org/opt/ReDIF/RePEc/rdc/v4i2/2.pdf.
- Verhoef, P., Kannan, P., &Inman, J. (2015). From multi-channel retailing to omnichannel retailing. Introduction to the special issue on multi-channel retailing. Journal of Retailing. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Peter_Verhoef2/publication/275715666_introjrmchannel/links/554519880cf24107d397af98.pdf.
- Women’s Fashion – Designer must-haves for 2018 – Farfetch. (2018). Farfetch.com. Retrieved 13 March 2018, from https://www.farfetch.com/ke/shopping/women/items.aspx?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&isbrand=yes&pid=googleadwords_int&af_channel=Search&c=703495184&af_c_id=703495184&af_siteid=&af_keywords=kwd-23936908538&af_adset_id=36605822557&af_ad_id=211940693498&is_retargeting=true&gclid=Cj0KCQjw7Z3VBRC-ARIsAEQifZQuEk19__leBJe7Zkoj6Pv3oxonSj6jakMBL9yZ-LeOA8pDAzt084waAm6UEALw_wcB.