Now that you know what a customer persona is, what you need to include, now let’s talk about how you can get the information you need.
Fashion is very dynamic and consumers are definitely using more clothes for a less period of time, Why you may ask?
Simply because they have more options!!! And are more informed, so if they don’t feel a brand connects with them, they just find another! So you want to start your research from your customers.
You could consider;
Surveys
Interviews
Digital Channel Analytics
Sales Data
Customer Reviews/ Feedbacks
Now let’s discuss 4 of these sources
#1 Surveys :
If for instance, you are trying to introduce a new service or modify your branding, policies, etc sending a survey to people in your database will help you know the opinion of your audience even before you embark on the project.
These could give you insights into how to go about the project when to launch the new concept or even place it on hold.
Gap Inc. for instance introduced a new logo in 2010, only to receive some backlash from the consumers and within one week, the logo was pulled down.
Perhaps if Gap Inc. had conducted a survey, the money spent on re-branding could have been invested into something more profitable.
#2 Interviews:
Conduct an interview with people who will be willing to give you insights into the questions discussed in (this article). Such people may include; Your existing customers, old customers, as well as people you suspect might be your customer.
Doing this will be accurate and help you to truly know your audience.
#3 Digital Channel Analytics:
Virtually all digital channels have analytics in them, which can enable you to study what is happening on your website. Google Analytics, for instance, can show your the following details:
Demographics Overview
Age range to target
Gender with the most and least conversion
Age/ Gender and Interests
Device /network
Location
New / Regular users
Keywords and pages the user interacts with
Source of the user
In some cases, you can get real-time data such as the actions performed by the user while online. Eg scrolls, clicks, etc.
Hence, studying your analytics can help you know who you are targeting. Is it different from the audience in your sales data? Or perhaps your survey forms say otherwise. Then you can reposition your brand appropriately.
#4 Customer Reviews/ Feedback:
Here is another inexpensive way to get information from your audience. From your reviews, you can get the following information.
Who they are
Their interests
Expectations
Frustrations
The reason they have decided to be loyal to you.
On a final note, remember the purpose of this is to know who your ideal customers are, where to find them, and the appropriate content to provide for them at each stage of the Buyer’s journey. This, therefore, implies that you need to avoid making decisions based on guesses as much as possible.
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Your Ideal Customer avatar also known as a customer persona is simply a representation of your potential client . Knowing your ideal customer will help better understand how to communicate with them. Thus, enabling you to create a Fashion line that is tailored to solve their needs. Whether what they need is comfort clothing , or a corporate lady look .
Perhaps they just want to identify with you as a luxury brand. Whatever the case is, a complete customer profile helps you create a personalized service.
How Detailed Should a Bio Persona Be?
It should be as detailed as possible. It’s not enough to say your customer avatar is a married woman that wants to look sweet sixteen. I mean that’s part of it, but not all!
It should be as detailed as giving your customer avatar a name, identifying the demographic details, interests, behaviour, location, e. t. c
How Do You Create Buyer Persona?
Surveys
Interviews
Digital Channel Analytics
Sales Data
Customer Reviews
Feedbacks
Your customer Avatar can be more than , depending on how big your brand is, thus understanding your customers will help with segmentation and personalization.
Which then leads to the Importance of Creating a Customer Avatar
Creating a bio persona helps you not only to sell your clothes to the right people, it also helps you sell the right experience and feelings. You communicate your value proposition better.
It makes you understand the appropriate content to create on your social media platforms.
A customer Avatar also gives you insight into your Buyer’s journey, i . e what buying stage are they?
It makes you understand the audience you create during your Facebook ads, google ads, e. t. c
Having an appropriate audience will make it easier to create a look-alike audience, thus more brand awareness.
CREATING A BUYER PERSONA- Information to Include;
Demographics
Age range
Gender
Location
Marital Status
Family life-style
Annual Income range
Education
Professional Role
You want to understand the industry your buyer persona works in . For instance, if your customer is a fresh graduate , working in a consulting firm, and her current pain-points are getting affordable professional clothing then you shouldn’t be marketing a lounge wear to her at that stage.
Goals and Values
A good understanding of your customer’s personalities and attitudes will help your targeting better align with their world. Psychographics helps you get more personal and enables you to sell more than a piece of clothing. Rather, you sell an emotion with it.
What does Mary think about sustainable Fashion?
Is she a detailed oriented person?
What are her career goals?
What professional goals does she have?
Pain Points
What challenges does she face while shopping online?
Does she have fit issues?
How often would she love to shop in a month?
What are her concerns in life?
Social Influence/ Information
Consider doing research on what type of information your client is interested in. Where and how it is sourced.
Topics of interest
Social Media Platforms
Favorite blogs
Conferences she attends.
Types of newsletters and magazines she loves to read.
Purchasing Decision
How often would she like to change her wardrobe?
What objections does she have when deciding to make a purchase?
Is she interested in a monthly package?
ther Factors may include the following;
How they spend their free time
How does the season of the year affect the purchasing power?
Would they love to be featured on your page?
In Conclusion,
Never assume you know your customers enough , ensure you do your research , collect as much data as possible rather than a guess work.
With a good grasp of these details, you can take it further by giving your customer avatar a name and even a face. Create your customer avatar in such a way that it is easy for you and your team to understand.
Enjoyed reading this article? How well do you know your customer? Share with us in the comment section.
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How Can Digital Pattern Making Transform Your Business?
Did you read my last post? If you didn’t, click HERE to read it. This post is a sequel to BNM #16. I had the privilege of hosting Tochukwu Chukwuma, Creative Director of Toyadinma. My first interaction with 3D was with Tochukwu in the most unlikely places.
I had asked her about what she would like to discuss at the webinar, and these were her words:
‘I like discussing Fashion as a tool to empower not only people but a nation. The capacity that lies within us when we are not only consumers but creators. We tear things apart and discover how things work and how to apply them.
I believe this is what technology does for us. It has opened possibilities to us. It helps us think in detail and in larger scales. Most importantly it enables us to work efficiently, effectively, and be more productive in our process of garment production starting from the idea to sketch, textile sourcing and manufacturing, through sampling, laying, cutting, finishing using technology.
The full cycle of the creation of a garment is fully revolutionized in a new way by infusing tech. The time is now for us all to start looking within at our workflow and explore better, effective, and efficient methods through tech in fashion.’
I totally agree that now is the time for you as a Fashion Business Owner to leverage technology to enhance your business.
Click the video below to listen to our discussion on how you can adopt 3D pattern drafting and what it can do for your business
In addition to what was discussed in the webinar, here are some applications you can explore .
Digital Pattern making can give better control of your production process, you can see the overall look of the design in real-time. You can decide to have a digital runway for your next release, create custom-made avatars.
There speculations in the industry that digital fashion might overtake fast- fashion. If that eventually happens, you definitely want to be among the brands making waves right?
Did you enjoy reading this article? , share your thoughts on digital pattern making with us in the comment section.
Why You Should Adopt Digital Fashion In Your Business
Digital Fashion ,amongst the many disruptions of technology in the fashion industry gained a lot of traction during the COVID -19 pandemic. Though not a new concept, it definitely gained more awareness in a bid for fashion brands to adapt to the current global situation.
Thus, more brands were open to adopting digital methods of prototyping, virtual runways, amongst many other benefits. Let’s have a overview of what digital fashion really is.
What Is Digital Fashion?
Digital Fashion is the visual representation of clothing built using computer technologies and 3D software, thus serves as an interplay between digital technology and couture.
It is the manufacturing of clothes with the use of pixels as against fabrics. The advent of covid-19 has created a new normal in the fashion industry and digital fashion has provided a means to cope with some of these changes. Consequently, increasing the possibilities of building a more sustainable brand
Just as in the traditional design process, digital fashion also needs to be translated from design, to pattern, sewn and then simulated to view the outcome.
In episode 16 of Business Webinar by Martwayne, we talked about digital pattern making. Why it’s a better approach compared to the traditional pattern drafting.
Take for instance, you run a garment factory, the more jobs you have means, you need to get more tailors/ pattern makers . This could translate to spending more time, money , whether it is direct or indirect . You agree with me right?
What if there was a way to cut down these expenses and even shorten the sampling time. Well I can tell you for free that with digital pattern making, this is possible. Click the video below to watch the full episode of BWM #16 .
The Evolution Of Digital Pattern Making
CAD (Computer Aided Designs) pattern making has been existing since the early days of Fashion Design, companies such as Gerber, Opitex, etc are among the early pioneers.
Despite the numerous benefits of digital pattern drafting, the technology was not accessible to the majority.
The cost of acquiring and sustaining this software was far too high for small-scale businesses.
In recent times, more software has been developed in order to bridge this gap,
thus making digital patterns a more accessible way to create clothing patterns.
It’s no surprise that it is fast becoming a popular method and is starting to replace the traditional paper pattern drafting. Visit Garment Production House for Digital Pattern Prototyping.
Some Benefits of Digital Pattern Making Are;
Better Precision.
It is faster, thus saves time.
Saves space.
Can be easily shared in different file formats e.g pdf, SVG, etc.
Helps in space management.
In Conclusion
Digital Pattern making can give better control of your production process, you can see the over all look of the design in real time. You can even decide to just focus on digital pattern making, virtual sampling , etc.
In the episode 18 of BNM, I talked more on the applications to use as well as examples of fashion retailers already making waves with this technology.
Did you enjoy reading this article? , share your thoughts on digital pattern making with us in the comment section.
How Do You Effectively Articulate The Value Of Your Product?
Have you ever wondered why people say “Sell the Value, Not the Product”
Well, that’s because building a brand is about selling value to your customer, not the products or services. However, you also need to know how to effectively articulate the value of your products to your customer.
People come to my inbox and lament about how they are not selling. I visit their pages and tell them instantly, I don’t know what you are selling>>>>>>
Before I go further, Click the podcast below to listen to how tips that will help you effectively craft and articulate the value of your products.
<<<<<<So back to our discussion.
So yes, you make clothes. I can see that. And yes they are nice. I can also see that. It might seem obvious to you but not to anyone else, so you need to clearly understand and articulate what you are offering to make me part with my hard-earned money.
Your business must have a promise to fulfill each time a sale is made. It could be in the form of an experience, a story you are telling. Perhaps it’s even a particular feeling.
Do you want your customers to feel happy, confident, or sustainability-conscious when they buy your product?
Then sell that to them! Be consistent in your brand message, sales copy, website, and newsletters.
Never assume your customers know, rather let every piece of content you share tell your Brand story effectively.
We would love you to share your thoughts with us in the comment section.
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Have you read my previous article on 10 strategies to increase online sales? If you haven’t, then HERE is the link . In today’s article, I have discussed 5 more strategies that can boost your online sales.
LET’S GET TO IT!!!!!
6. Influencer Marketing
Another Strategy to increase your online sales is collaborating with an influencer.
You have to realize that people no longer depend or trust TV ads, more so , not every fashion brand can afford that. Consumers want a form of proof that can make them trust your brand . Hence the more reason you need to pick the right influencer.
The right influencer communicates with the right crowd .
Some influencers get money or your products in return for their services. Yeah it might seem like an expensive investment, trust me , it pays off when done correctly.
7. Target Look-alike Audience On Facebook Ads
This is actually one of my favorite strategies. I find it really fascinating and more importantly, yields tremendous results.
Targeting look-alike audience on Facebook ads simply means Facebook can place your ads in front of Facebook users that are similar to the audience you have created on Facebook . Thus Facebook uses the data you already have to expand your reach.
You will agree with me that it is an inexpensive way to increase your brand awareness right?
8. Attribution
As the word implies, attribution -Ascribe the right conversion to the appropriate digital channel. You need to study your conversion pathways in your Google Analytics, for instance, so as to actually know where your conversions and leads are generated from. Being able to identify what is working and what is not, will save you some money and time to invest in the appropriate channels.
9. Study Your Analytics
A major benefit of digital marketing in the fashion industry is the ability to measure the impact of the the digital channels used , just as discussed in Google analytics for instance can give you insights into the demographics of your customers,
an average number of people that interact with your website, in fact, you can get data on real-time events, such as the pages the user is on, actions taken, time spent on each page, etc. Keeping an eye on your analytics can help you identify the most effective digital platforms.
In conclusion, before you implement any of the strategies above, ensure you have a clear goal. Are you working towards increasing your brand awareness or perhaps, you already have a large audience, you just want to get more sales . Either way, knowing exactly what you want will guide your contents, sales copy, ads, etc
Never Under-Estimate Your Product Review
Today’s consumers’ place a lot of importance on social proofs from other customers. Perhaps even more than a sales copy and an ad from an influencer.
Including feedback on your website, social media handles, online stores, product descriptions, and emails help build more trust amongst your customers, consequently increasing your sales.
Now that I have shared all the 10 strategies ,which one would like to start with? Share with us in the comment section . Don’t forget to join our live webinars on Thursdays, 8 pm WAT.
Also visit our YouTube Channel to get the full playlist of our business podcasts and webinars.
