Retailers have to constantly watch out for hot selling products in the market and react quickly to the same by twitching ongoing programs to nail the trend. This instant reaction is termed as opportunity buying, which literally translates to buying as per opportunity presents itself, that is, tapping a trend in the market, that has suddenly gained traction, by a retailer who thinks that the product/style/trend is viable enough to be incorporated in the current production cycle. Retailers then search for the manufacturers and suppliers who can cater to this sudden change in their sourcing needs and deliver them relevant products in less than a month’s time due to this open-to-buy model. The manufacturer holds major importance in this unplanned change and has to be equipped aptly to shorten the design to warehouse timeline: machinery, labour and technologies. The seminar will have panellists discussing the growing ‘opportunity buying’ model in retail sector which is unique to Indian retail and how manufacturers can play a critical role in this unique sourcing strategy.
Smaller MOQS are here to stay as ‘More Designs, Less Quantities has become the new retail business model for most of the retailers. To do smaller runs, that too mostly in short delivery schedules requires the reengineering of systems. Concepts such as smart factory, on-demand business model and agile production have emerged to cater to small quantity manufacturing in the most efficient way. Apart from this, a robust logistics system with tight control over input material is also required. This panel discussion will include all these aspects that would help manufacturers manage smaller quantities at the shortest possible time in the most efficient way. The panellists would be both retailers and manufactures.
Factors such as trade policies, tariff rates, political stability, political relations, flickering currency exchange rates and inflation rate massively affect trade between countries. Moreover, US-China trade war kind of conflict is making things even worse and more uncertain for the garment manufacturing hubs in this constantly changing trade scenario. These unknown after-effects of trade environment are pushing the retailers to rethink about finding right manufacturing partners and it has become difficult for even industry experts to predict the performance of major manufacturing hubs in upcoming years and to lay out long-term sourcing strategy amidst ever-changing trade scenario. The panel discussion will cover each and every challenge related to international trade that retailers might face as well as throw light on the solutions.
Sustainability is something which every retailer and even consumer demands in today’s time. On one hand, compliance improves a manufacturing unit's working standards, but on the other hand, it is an additional cost for factories for which only a few of brands contribute. Thus, the question is – how to sustain in the business with sustainability? There is no doubt that the garment factories that are built compliant from the very beginning have the cost factored in from the initial investment but what about the ones which are now transforming their business structure to become more compliant and sustainable as per the buyers’ needs? This panel discussion will talk about the significance of sustainable practices for the manufacturing industry and tell them way to sustain for a longer term.
Omni-channel has become an important retail format in recent years which allows consumers to combine store visits and online interactions during their shopping journeys in search of the best product. However, when a business transits to Omni-channel, the previous infrastructure can’t ensure accurate inventory, warehousing and order management across all channels, leading to a failure in Omni-channel execution. The panellists will discuss case studies of how online is going offline and vice a versa and the requirements of a complete integration of all channels will be talked about.
Athleisure has rocked the fashion world in recent years by taking stretchy leggings out of the gym and into everyday life as a cultural shift in the workplace has made it more acceptable to wear t-shirts and yoga pants to the office. Smart Garment is equally gaining attention of the consumers, especially athletes, with its ability to track heartbeats and other body parameters which have actually become need of the athletes nowadays. However, these product categories have their own challenges such as fabric composition, electronics, manufacturing difficulty and washing cycles. Athleisure and smart garment brands will enlighten the audience as to how these categories are going to evade the market and what difficulties the manufacturers and brands might face when catering to these segments.
Changing consumer shopping preferences, digitally transforming businesses, on-demand approach, millennials rise as consumers, more technology integration and customers’ shifting loyalty towards brands are key factors which will further pose great challenges to the retailers in upcoming decade. While consumers will play a major role in deciding when and what should be produced, technologies like artificial intelligence, chat bots, block chain, augmented reality are already changing the game of retail. Going forward, technology will be even more significant to manage complete supply chain within a retail store and in the digital space. Collectively all these factors will impact product, sourcing, manufacturing and retail as a whole. Catch up with top retailers to know how they see retail business shaping up in next decade.
Despite a lot of talks about sustainability, the fashion industry is still one of the most polluted industries in the world. Circular economy aims to reduce this pollution by various methods such as reducing cloth consumption, reusing the products and recycling them thoroughly by giving more space to brands catering to newer and more sustainable business models such as ‘rental’ model. However, this approach will certainly impact mass production resulting brands find it challenging to grow in a longer run. The question will arise – with less being bought, what is the future of retail and how with retailers and manufactures adapt to the challenge? The panellists will discuss all pros and cons of fast fashion and how circular economy can control considerable environmental damage by fashion industry.
Private equity firm have resources and experience to provides leadership, management, and capital that many young and native retailers may not possess. These firms can seamlessly bring in a retail strategist and highly-experienced C-suite talent with the know-how to scale and develop the business with quick decision-making. A discussion by the panel curated among the equity firms on how a native startup should first identify its needs and than choosing the right private equity firm to address those needs and what it should bring to the table....