Source: CNA
Based on the recent CNA article on Shein, the Chinese fashion giant, has been blazing a trail on social media that other big fashion companies must take note of. We’ll share with you our opinion on Sheins’ recent social media exploits and examine the methods and lessons behind Shein’s competitive advantage:
1. Don’t ignore TikTok
Shein has triggered a flurry of activity on the Chinese social media platform, with hashtags like #shein and #sheinhaul accompanying posts of users posing with their latest Shein products. It’s the dream of every marketing manager to see consumers marketing their products like this, as it doesn’t cost them a penny.
Continue to ignore TikTok at your peril; it’s a lucrative arena for fashion brands and filled with consumers ripe for poaching.
2. Online only is more agile
You don’t need brick and mortar retail outlets to succeed in fast fashion. Shein doesn’t and never has a retail outlet, yet their online presence is exploding at an unprecedented rate.
They have zoomed past, even more established global giants like Zara and H&M in terms of app installation rates, demonstrating the power of an exclusively online retail business model.
Meanwhile, dinosaurs like Primark who refuse to go online in favour of bricks and mortar stores continue to struggle, losing more and more market share to their eCommerce-savvier competitors.
3. Speed is king
While traditional fast fashion companies like Zara gauge trends by analyzing what products are selling in their different bricks and mortar store locations, Shein has a more straightforward strategy altogether.
Shein scrapes new product data from competitors’ websites, effectively piggybacking on their hard work and research, delivering more of the trending products at faster rates.
It must be terribly frustrating to have all your painstaking research stolen and replicated so easily, but that’s how it works in the real world.
4. Don’t ignore your conscience
So far we’ve only discussed lessons to learn by copying Shein, but not what you shouldn’t learn from them. Although this emerging fast-fashion giant has exploded from near-obscurity in the past year or so, they’re fast approaching the danger of a real PR backlash due to their lack of environmental concerns.
Sustainable fashion is the core ethos of every Western fashion giant’s PR strategy, and it may just be Chinese manufacturers as a whole that need to catch up and reduce their carbon footprint and waste production. Either way, if Shein wants to continue selling to Western consumers, sooner or later they’ll be burnt when someone inevitably exposes their unethical fast fashion methods.
Conclusion
The lessons to learn from Shein’s social media success are invaluable, but even more important is to avoid the mistakes they’ve made. The future of fast fashion is online, and brands that aren’t online are ripe for disruption.
Don’t be afraid to jump into a new arena and test your social media mettle; it’s the best way to build your brand and get the word out about your products.
Finally, be mindful of your environmental footprint. It’s no longer good enough to ignore your carbon footprint and simply pass the buck on to your customers.
Do your bit and be environmentally friendly; your customers will love you for it.
