Fashion brands are adapting their assortment for marketplaces

The growth of online sales of clothing and shoes in conditions of stagnant traffic in specialized retail stores stimulated the development of collections for marketplaces by fashion brands, making such a strategy one of the key trends in the market. It allows you to adapt the assortment to the pricing policy of online platforms and form a pool of regular customers on the platform. But the implementation of such a concept requires a good knowledge of consumer preferences, experts emphasize.

The creation of special collections for marketplaces by Russian fashion brands has become one of the key trends in the fashion market, according to a study by Fashion Consulting Group (FCG). As FCG notes, in 2023, marketplaces accounted for more than 70% of online sales of clothing and footwear; marketplaces actively compete for customers through discounts, which leads to dumping on the market as a whole.

The pricing policy of marketplaces forces sellers to adapt their assortment, confirms Infoline. The Snow Queen says that they are developing models for Wildberries that meet the requests of site buyers for basic items at affordable prices. The premium line is selling well, in addition to its online store and selected retail outlets, only on Lamoda, the network added.

FCG Commercial Director Anush Gasparyan explains that we can talk about developing a separate line for marketplaces, cooperation between a brand and a platform, or creating a special matrix as part of a regular collection. In the latter case, the expert clarifies, models for online platforms may be distinguished by less variety, a more universal fit, and a more conservative approach to details.

Clothing manufacturers can present different assortments on different marketplaces depending on their positioning, says Lamoda Marketing Director Alexey Kulakov and confirms a representative of the women’s clothing brand 2MOOD. Melon Fashion Group (Zarina, Befree, Love Republic, Sela chains) said that they produce exclusive Sela products for online channels. The line for Wildberries includes jeans with an expanded size range, additional colors, and an expanded range of outerwear for children and women. Baon President Ilya Yaroshenko notes that some colors in basic products can only be on one marketplace. According to him, a separate assortment makes it possible to reduce competition between sites and create a pool of loyal consumers on a specific platform.

Furniture manufacturers have also started producing lines and collections for marketplaces (see Kommersant, November 30, 2023). One Story partner Olga Sumishevskaya says that when adapting the assortment to the online channel, the manufacturer needs to “guess the preferences of consumers of a particular site.”

Creating joint collections with online platforms, says Alexey Kulakov, allows you to stand out among competitors. According to him, Lamoda in 2023 released more than ten joint collections with manufacturers of clothing, shoes and accessories. In Yandex Market in 2023, seven collections with Russian brands appeared, including Fable, Vereja, Gate31. Wildberries are only “considering” creating joint collections with brands.

In the meantime, offline stores are losing traffic. According to Focus Technologies, the number of buyers in fashion retail in retail centers in Moscow and St. Petersburg in January 2024 was 2% lower year-on-year. The turnover of outlets increased by 11% and 8% due to an increase in the average check by 13% and 11%, respectively. Consumers, according to Focus Technologies, “maintain a balanced approach to spending, compare prices, and partially prefer online channels.” According to the Association of Internet Trade Companies, in 2023, online sales of goods in the Russian Federation increased by 28%, to 6.35 trillion rubles, of which clothing and footwear accounted for 14.6%.

Polina Gritsenko