US Retailers Make the Most Out of Cotton in the First Six Months of 2006
The first six months of the ongoing year has left the US retailers asking for more as consumers are on a buying spree for new apparel with differentiating factors as trends change with every passing day. Export of readymade garments to US has increased by 28 % in the first six months of 2006 compared to a drop by 16 % during the same period last year. During last year, readymade garments worth $ 4,359,945 were exported to US, while this year saw an export worth $ 5,563,610. Observing this year’s buying behaviour of the end as well as potential consumers, retailers in United States are developing diverse strategies directed towards the coming fall-winter business.A large number of US apparel retailers have picked up the strategy to give fastest and finest response on consumer feedback to alter its product assortments at the slightest indication of change in consumer demand. The fast fashion cycle has kept the brands on their toes. The significant task which the sales-staff conducts is to understand market mechanics. Even while the consumers are in the store, the sales staff is busy interacting with them. Once the consumer requirements have been evaluated, new products are developed keeping under consideration the changes in demand.
This year, in fabrics, cotton has increased its dominance in the imports of apparel. Organic cotton is being used in most of the new and popular men and women's styles as the demand for the eco-friendly fabric is at an all time high. Levi's brand will include jeans made with 100% organic cotton in its fall 2006 product line. Consumers who seek to minimise their personal impact on the environment can choose apparel that demand less from the environment without throwing overboard the style or quality they've come to expect from the brands and retail stores. Additional styles made from 100 % organic cotton, or a significant percentage of organic cotton, are being introduced in the market by quite a lot of manufacturers and retailers. On the flip side of coin, it reflects
Cotton jackets and jeans are the cotton products actually creating positive swings in the sales chart. Some of the retailers and brands that have witnessed good sales include Plus-size women’s line fashion retailer United Retail Group, brand for the youth-American Eagle Outfitter, Zumiez known for its action sports apparel, urban apparel retailer Citi Trends, men’s suits chain Men’s Wearhouse, Stage Stores, Abercrombie & Fitch for its trendy apparel, women’s contemporary wear bebe stores, The Gymboree Corporation for children’s wear and fashion apparel major The Wet Seal. All these apparel retailers and chain stores have a net increase in sales driven by cotton jackets, jeans, adventure wear, and lingerie at the end of first six months of the year. Footwear and cotton jerseys also got a big push in sales by the ongoing FIFA World Cup fever, as USA had advanced in the first couple of rounds.
Along with brick and mortar, the internet has also been a major force in giving a jump to the sales during the ensuing period. Internet sales have undoubtedly grown at a tremendous rate in the last five years. In spite of the continued reluctance of some retailers to separate or release their sales by channel, online retail sales in the first quarter totaled to $ 24.2 bn. More and more consumers are placing orders in assortments as well as in bulk. The e-tailing turnover has gone up with the rise in the number of net savvy retailers and consumers. It has become an important medium for businesses and driven many a brand and retailer to develop exclusive websites for consumers, sitting at some other corner of the planet, to place orders. The competition between retail chains and brands to create as interactive a website as possible is at cutthroat levels. A success story is VintageTrends.com, which has emerged as the shopping paradise for vintage clothing, military apparel & accessories as well as the latest retro fashion from the cool comfort of home.
As China continues to dominate imports into the United States, the ‘Made in USA’ tag is once again looking more attractive to some US retailers than importing from China. According to the findings of a research by CNN, several specialty chain stores like trendy women’s clothing Hot Topic, deLia’s, Dillards and Nordstorm are very interested in moving ‘no less than a practical percentage’ of their product sourcing either back home (USA) or at least closer to the country or to countries like Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica and El Salvador, or for that sake, nations that belong to Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). US retailers are finally looking at lost sales as lost revenue. In order to capture maximum sales they need to turn their inventory much quicker thus keeping their stock looking fresh and in-step with the fad of moment.
Partha Anant
Client: Apparel Online
posted by Partha Anant @ 6:44 AM
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