September 29th, 2008 by Fiana de Guzman
I know, of course, that retailers worldwide have been selling fashion products online for a long time, but how many times have you actually stumbled upon a brand you didn’t know before because of a sophisticated marketing strategy that just hit you? Exactly – me neither.
The awareness of how important online marketing really is today has not reached beyond a very limited number of people. Marketing is no longer subject to classic media and could be highly effective on the internet. However, there are no trained people to do the job. Universities don’t offer according programs. There are only a small number of online marketing courses in the US as well as in Germany (only started this year) although marketing should realize that it needs to expand to the internet to reach consumers, since (almost) everything happens online.
Fashion designers in Milan, Italy, finally realized how important online marketing has become. “It took time, but Italian fashion companies have come to recognize the potential of online sales and now one of the country’s most highly regarded universities is stepping in to train a new breed of managers for that growing industry. … In November the business school at Milan’s Politecnico University, called MIP, will inaugurate Italy’s first master’s degree program aimed at creating specialists in online fashion sales,” The Global Edition of The New York Times reported a few days ago. So far, many Italian fashion labels have lagged behind their peers. Some (e.g. Versace) still don’t have online sales presence. – Their reasons, i.e. problems: fear of damaging their brand, complexity of payment, shipping and returns.
Italian fashion companies support the academic effort. The Yoox Group, a multi-brand internet retailer that pioneered the sale of fashion products online, helped develop the program and provides 3 scholarships. Also, Giorgio Armani offers a scholarship and work experience at Emporio Armani’s online store.
Alessandro Perego, head of the research institute at MIP, professor of logistics and supply chain management and director of the new e-fashion degree says: “Fashion companies can’t train their people fast enough and they need employees who can come in already with the skills. Every time a new site opens, there is need for people with these skills and there is nobody to fill the jobs. We saw the market and have moved to try and fill the void with this master’s.”
Armani sums everything up nicely in an email: “The web will become increasingly important to fashion brands and designers. … Education is vital in the fashion industry. The point of getting involved in an academic degree in this way is to approach the sector in an ambitious, curious and open-minded way.” He further states that internet presence has become important not only for the business it generates, but because it allows the brand to expand beyond customers with a store near where they live or travel. – Well put!
The idea is genius, not only for the fashion industry but for companies in general. This should suffice as a good example to follow. Consumers are online, so should the brands.
