A guide to the trends in fashion logistics

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The fashion business continues to change and develop, offering particular challenges for the supply chain. Competition is intense, discretionary spending is limited and customers are changing the ways in which they buy. This forces everyone in the fashion supply chain to be more creative and responsive in order to stay ahead of the ever-changing customer base. This paper summarises the trends we have seen in our work throughout the fashion sector and their impact on the fashion supply chain. Trends in the fashion supply chain
There are several clear trends in the retail fashion industry but the impact they are having on supply chains is less obvious.
The march of E- and M-commerce
E-commerce continues to gain an ever increasing market share. Customers are buying more via the internet and the use of mobile devices for this is increasing even faster. These customers are consulting with friends through social media before making a buying decision and subsequently share their buying experiences. A positive or a negative experience is now quickly and widely publicised and can encourage localised geographic peaks in demand.
Consumers expect complete availability and fast home delivery at little or no cost. Click and collect is growing faster than home delivery as it is more convenient for many customers. This can be both a complication and a benefit – the store has to cope with receiving, storing and managing the customer orders, but gains increased footfall and selling opportunities.

Returns
Another consequence of e-commerce is an increase in return rates. It is crucial to process returns quickly to maintain availability and to ensure that as much stock as possible is re-sold at full price. If the returns process