The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
How H&M Is Betting on Artificial Intelligence and Big Data to Regain Profitability (Forbes)
"The company is turning to tech to build a stronger business, drive efficiencies in its supply chain and operations, and give consumers what they want thanks to the insights provided from big data and artificial intelligence about fashion trends and their customers' preferences."
Soon, the Most Beautiful People in the World May No Longer Be Human (The Washington Post)
"Virtual models such as Lil Miquela and Shudu are just the beginning of the avatar revolution, some industry observers say. As people grow increasingly comfortable with these manufactured online identities, some brands see an opportunity to capitalise."
New Supply Chain Jobs Are Emerging as AI Takes Hold (Harvard Business Review)
"AI will enable supply chain planners to make more forward-looking, strategic decisions and spend less time on reactive problem solving. These planners will lead the charge in moving away from a traditional supply chain operating model, which is inflexible and slow, to a new dynamic model with true end-to-end segmentation."
10 Amazon Myths Examined (Retail Dive)
"Apparel is a good case of misperceptions. Amazon's nearly 8 percent share is still fairly modest in a fiercely competitive market that is starting to respond to the e-tailer's threat. The next two market leaders after Amazon, Target and Kohl's, together control more of the market than Amazon."
The Flourishing Business of Fake YouTube Views (The New York Times)
"While YouTube says fake views represent just a tiny fraction of the total, they still have a significant effect by misleading consumers and advertisers. YouTube would not disclose the number of fake views it blocked each day, but said its teams worked to keep them to less than 1 percent of the total."
Brands are using them for design tasks, in their marketing, on their e-commerce sites and in augmented-reality experiences such as virtual try-on, with more applications still emerging.
Brands including LVMH’s Fred, TAG Heuer and Prada, whose lab-grown diamond supplier Snow speaks for the first time, have all unveiled products with man-made stones as they look to technology for new creative possibilities.
Social networks are being blamed for the worrying decline in young people’s mental health. Brands may not think about the matter much, but they’re part of the content stream that keeps them hooked.
After the bag initially proved popular with Gen-Z consumers, the brand used a mix of hard numbers and qualitative data – including “shopalongs” with young customers – to make the most of its accessory’s viral moment.