Talking strategy: Robert McKee of Infor discusses the impact of technology in the fashion industry

The global apparel industry is moving faster than ever. Consumers are seeking more variety, and retailers are having to react by producing more collections and providing products and services which offer greater personalisation. At the same time, consumers are becoming more savvy as the amount of information they have at their fingertips through the Internet becomes ever greater. Today, many consumers prefer to research their options before making purchases. Therefore, retailers are experiencing pressure to revise their supply chains and modernise their business models to offer consumers a wider variety of buying options through omni-channel retailing. Furthermore, retailers are having to take notice of what consumers are discussing on social media websites to ensure that the products and services they are offering are relevant and current. As a result, technology has become more important for retailers in the areas of supply chain management and omni-channel retailing, and as a way of connecting with consumers. In this report, the industry strategy director for fashion at Infor, Robert McKee, discusses ways in which consumers are influencing the apparel supply chain and shows that the need for product life cycle management (PLM) systems and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems is more important than ever. Also, he provides an outlook for the future direction of the apparel industry and apparel retailing, and speculates as to how technology will have an impact on the industry.

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Global Apparel Markets provides intelligence, analysis and insight on the global apparel and fashion industries.

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