Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Jennifer Lopez and many other celebrities we admire all wear clothes that most of us could only ever dream of adding to our wardrobes. But thanks to the ultrafast direct to consumer online brand Fashion Nova, you can purchase a similar outfit for less than $50 delivered to your door within 24 hours.
There are several ultra fast fashion brands, but Fashion Nova is by far the most popular, with over 17 million Instagram followers and between 600-900 new outfits per week. In 2018, it had more Google searches than any other company in America. According to market research firm Influencer DB, Fashion Nova has more user engagement and exposure on Instagram than H&M and Zara combined! Experts predict that the brand is the future of direct to consumer clothing sales – here’s why.
What Makes Fashion Nova so Successful?
Fashion Nova first launched in 2006. Within 14 years, it became one of the most successful retail brands of the 21st century. What happened? The company started out as a brick and mortar store, but founder Richard Saghian used a combination of clever strategies to expand the company. Saghian capitalized on the power of influencers who offered a lucrative alternative to traditional marketing campaigns. Influencers have large followings of 250,000 and more. When they endorse a product, it is guaranteed to sell because their followers trust them. They also collaborate with celebrities such as Cardi B and Kylie Jenner who have tens of millions of followers on their own. This makes Fashion Nova’s clothing lines that much more appealing.
Fashion Nova is also plus size friendly. There was a time when it was impossible for curvier women to get fashionable clothes in their size. However, not only does Fashion Nova sell plus sized clothes, they have oodles of sexy plus size models advertising them. They aren’t relegated to the back of the line like with other brands. Fashion Nova puts plus sized models front and center and gives them a platform to thrive. This is a very warm welcome at a time when we are all learning to accept the beauty of diversity.
What is Direct to Consumer?
Direct to consumer is the process of shipping products directly to the consumer without relying on middle men or brick and mortar stores. Direct to consumer brands are totally independent and don’t rely on retailers to determine their success. They can experiment with different distribution models such as shipping directly to the consumer, partnering with physical retailers, and operating pop-up stores. D2C brands are strategically positioned to gain a competitive advantage by rethinking the way they deliver their products and their retail model.
The Appeal of Direct to Consumer Sales
With the rise of cloud, social and mobile technologies, customer demands for a more seamless experience continue to increase. Providing a superior customer experience is essential to the success of any business, and when wholesale manufacturers are dependent upon retail distributors, they have limited control over how their product is sold. It becomes the distributor’s responsibility to ensure the customer leaves the store or website satisfied and happy. When products are sold directly to the consumer, they cut out the middleman and govern the entire customer journey to give them the best experience.
That said, why do businesses and customers alike love the D2C model?
Convenience: Buying behavior is changing, and while some people still enjoy the experience of going to brick and mortar stores, trying on clothes and walking out with a crisp new bag in hand, many more would prefer not to. With our increasingly busy and active lives, it is much more convenient to shop from your phone or iPad on your lunch break. According to Diffusion PR, two out of five Americans have purchased from a direct to consumer company within the past year, and over the next five years, it is predicted that this number will increase to more than half of the population.
Quick Comparison: As mentioned, Fashion Nova releases between 600-900 new outfits per week. Online shopping allows the buyer to browse and compare items quickly. Most people are not going to have the time to look at 600-900 outfits; however, they will click on the pieces that catch their eye. They can easily look at the clothes from different angles and in different colors before deciding whether they want to purchase the item.
Pricing: Ninety five percent of Fashion Nova’s products currently online are priced between $30-50. This is a huge difference when compared to other online brands such as Asos who were once the forerunners of online clothes shopping. With current economic uncertainty, most people are still willing to spend $50 on a dress, but when the prices start climbing higher than this, sensibile shoppers would rather take their dollars elsewhere.
The main reason why Fashion Nova is able to charge such affordable prices without compromising the quality of their goods is that their factories are all based in Los Angeles. Therefore, they eliminate shipping and other expenses associated with working with factories abroad.
In some ways, Fashion Nova could even be seen as the Amazon of the clothing industry. Businesses were not prepared for their massive growth, it is always on the move, and it has the tendency to make investors and companies nervous with its bold moves. Like businesses who have had to accept defeat when it comes to competing against Amazon, the retail industry may need to do the same when it comes to Fashion Nova.
Times are changing rapidly and the direct to consumer revolution is taking over. As digital advancements streamline and improve the customer experience while eliminating the middleman, consumers are going to put an increasing amount of pressure on traditional brands to give them the same experiences as D2C brands. Companies like Fashion Nova who understand the wants and desires of their target audience and are willing to adapt to provide a superior experience will always be at the forefront.