Fashion retailers need to integrate online, in-store

Internet Retailing: With the notable exception of a few large retailers, the majority of traditional brick-and-mortar fashion retailers have so far failed to implement a successful multi-channel retailing strategy. In fact, few fashion and lifestyle retailers are currently achieving better than two to five percent of annual sales from their online business.

Many people used to attribute this low revenue to a lack of consumer interest in buying premium brands online. Yet according to recent figures from Nielsen, 97 percent of British Web users shop online and over one third of these buy clothes — an increase of 40 percent in the last two years. This is a market that can no longer be ignored — irrespective of brand quality or product value.

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