The apparel industry was growing at a rapid pace up until the pandemic hit the world economy really hard. It has been almost a year since then and despite all the ods, the world is trying to get back on track.

However, there is no denying that the business is no longer the same. The recent disaster has influenced how people use to think about their appearance, looks, and style. 

Face masks, hand gloves have become a common part of apparel for end customers. Clothing stores are operating in a limited way and the number of orders has fallen as well. 

But for buyers, the expenses of running their business have not gone down. As a matter of fact, for many businesses, the cost has increased as they need to ensure safety for their staff and also customers.  

According to businessoffashion, the apparel industry could contract a 27 to 30% revenue decline this year. 

Therefore, buyers around the world are looking to solve the following issues desperately and re-start their growth-

1. Sourcing Quality Supplies 

There are plenty of suppliers available. Alibaba is a great place to find supplies and a lot of countries make fantastic apparel products as well. However, quality is a significant issue to consider for buyers nowadays. Due to the lockdown, plenty of front lines factories have lost their production capacity and even the workforce. Hence, supplies are no longer as flawless as it was earlier to this global crisis. Nevertheless, it is not totally out of control yet. There are many countries like China and Bangladesh are still going strong. Despite the setback both this countries are able to ensure order fulfilments very well. 

2. The New Fashion Trend 

Well, as we said earlier Fashion is no longer the same. Due to social distancing and limited outgoing activities, fashion trends have changed. Buyers around the world are re-thinking about their design and how to make their customers feel stylish despite all the changes in lifestyle. Therefore, even big brands are forced to apply drastic changes in their design, fabrics and product categories. Face Masks, hand gloves, and other apparel to stay safe outside have become a common part of the product listings from even top brands around the world. Brands are trying desperately to keep up with this changed demand. 

3. The Cost Of Sourcing Products 

Sales of apparel products in the fashion industry has declined significantly over the past couple of months. Fashion hubs like Europe have seen a tremendous fall in their sales. So buyers are looking to find quality apparel products at a cheaper price while not compromising quality.  But this is the part where most buyers all around the world are facing the toughest challenge. It is because the global economy is on the backfoot right now. Irrespective of the size of the business, almost everyone has faced a decline. So finding quality products at an affordable price in this moment can be tough. 

4. Shipment and Quality Inspection 

This is another issue most buyers face. Delay in shipment and less focus on Quality Inspection often leads to a dispute. Suppliers sometimes overlook quality check or do not perform it thoroughly. Moreover, the delivery of products is sometimes managed unprofessionally by suppliers. In both these cases, buyers have to go through some difficulties if these are not dealt with properly. Suppliers are required to be transparent upfront about both these services to the buyers. Any unforeseen delays or mismanagement can cause serious damage to the buyer's business. 

5. New Competitions Are Doing Well 

The recent lockdown period has forced plenty of people to quit their job. Plenty of people are becoming self-employed as opening a store takes only few clicks nowadays. A lot of resellers have emerged in the past couple of months offering unique solutions at a cheaper rate than older buyers in the market. It is not like that the renowned brands like H&M, Marks & Spencer, Louis Vuitton, Levi's are facing massive challenges. But midlevel brands and sellers are losing some of their customers to newly emerging retailers as they are able to offer products at a much more reasonable price. 

6. Inventory Management Difficulties 

Most brands in the fashion industry roll-out their new collection based on seasons. In order to stay for a longer time in the market. some brands launch news designs for few seasons in one single year. Showcasing agility and excellence simultaneously in their stock visibility is a big challenge. For example, if the temperature is not that high during the summer, brands may consider lowering the price of their products to boost sales of their unsold products. Therefore, managing inventory intelligently is one of the primary concerns of the fashion retail industry.  


Final Thoughts: 

The apparel sector is a trillion-dollar industry. Millions of people are involved in this sector and ensuring the demand is fulfilled. So both buyers and suppliers have to be co-operative to achieve their target. Both parties are contributing to the industry and their mutual understanding can be the key for this industry to grow again. 

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