By TCOG & Colect: Storytelling is becoming increasingly important for wholesalers
Whoever wants to play in the Champions League of the fashion industry must have their digital sales journey well-organized. At fashion fairs, sales agents are increasingly seen with an iPad in hand. Whether there’s Wi-Fi or not, with a well-functioning sales app, they can always showcase the new collection in an appealing way. And this goes beyond just the products. The story behind the collection is becoming more and more important.
FashionUnited spoke with TCOG and Colect, partners for over ten years in providing specialized software solutions for the fashion industry.
Joint customer portfolio
A modern digital platform where B2B customers can immerse themselves in the new collection and easily place orders is indispensable for any self-respecting fashion company today. “It’s no coincidence that we’ve been working with Colect for over ten years,” say Eric van der Craats and Laurens Van Hemeldonck, Sales Managers at TCOG. Both organizations have grown significantly with a joint customer portfolio, including brands like Vingino, Josh V, Ten Cate, and My Jewellery. “Instead of solely focusing on writing orders, our B2B tool supports the full storytelling for the fashion industry,” says Niña George, Customer Success & Operational Manager at Colect. “There is a huge demand for this. Fashion companies want to truly engage their customers in the story behind their brand.”
Personalized B2B platform
What sets Colect’s sales tool apart from more basic B2B platforms? The answer is simple: the user experience. It is a rich platform with a webshop-like look and feel. This starts with the landing page and the welcome message, which fashion brands can easily personalize with just a few clicks. The solution then offers self-service for both sales agents and retailers, whether it’s for curating an assortment or downloading campaign images. With the shop-the-look feature, products can be linked to specific content to encourage customers to place better orders. Van der Craats adds: “With increasing competition from all directions, strong brand positioning is more important than ever. The right tools are key to achieving this.”
Digital showroom
The focus is increasingly shifting towards inspiring and exciting customers, rather than solely on orders. George explains: “We also offer the ability to transform the collection into an interactive experience. This digital presentation can then be streamed across multiple screens. This way, at the start of the buying season, you can take customers in the showroom through the story behind your brand. How was the collection created? What materials were used? And what sustainable choices were made?” Marketing campaigns enhance the narrative. Of course, this requires an investment. “That’s why it’s important for retailers to know which campaigns are running when, and to give them direct access to all the necessary visual content for use both in-store and online,” says George.
Less out-of-stock situations
Thanks to the integration between Colect and ItSuitsFashion 365, TCOG’s Microsoft-based fashion ERP solution, data synchronization happens almost in real-time. If the price or stock level of a product changes, it’s nearly instantly visible across all channels. “This is essential in times of digitalization,” says Van der Craats. “It reduces out-of-stock situations and improves customer retention. If a customer orders from you three times and the item is out of stock twice, you will definitely lose that customer.” Re-orders, pre-orders—everything is possible within the B2B tool. Even products that haven’t yet arrived at the wholesaler (future stock) can already be ordered by retailers. Van der Craats adds: “And that’s important, because inventory costs money, so companies prefer to keep their stock levels as low as possible.”
Valuable insights
Fashion brands can decide for themselves what they want to display in Colect’s B2B portal. Some choose to hide out-of-stock items, while others prefer to show the entire collection for a complete visual overview. In short, brands have the freedom to shape their ideal sales journey. “Another interesting aspect is that, because it’s such a rich platform, the interaction between brands and retailers is optimized,” says Van der Craats. “Wholesalers now gain much more data about the retailer: what has been purchased, and what are the best-sellers?” George adds: “If it turns out that 15% of orders are re-orders, then as an agent, you can recommend a higher pre-order. This makes the process more sustainable as well: a higher pre-order means fewer shipments. It’s a win-win.”
TCOG and Colect regularly sit down together to discuss new market developments. Van Hemeldonck explains: “The world is changing, and we can feel the growing demand for these kinds of solutions in the Netherlands and Belgium. In the past, retailers were the only ones with insight into their sell-through data. Now, wholesale and retail are truly coming together, helping each other grow. Increasingly, technology is becoming the foundation of every organization.”