Brand to Attention!

 

Branding has never been more important than now...

In today's fashion/apparel market we are witnessing cut-throat competition more so now due to our current economic situation. Trends come into existence and vanish even quicker than they appear. Rapid changes in consumers' choices, increases or decreases in their disposable income, globilisation, media exposure, and the influence of global and psychological trends all contribute to this behavior. In order to sustain themselves in the market, it is necessary for every manufacturer to build a ‘brand image' for their product in the market. Brands create the strongest competitive advantage for the manufacturer, and the retailer.

Strategic thinking is required in the creation of brands. Consumers do not evaluate a product in all the parameters while shopping or at the point of purchasing. A psychological approach is required to build confidence in the minds of the consumer and make them believe that the particular brand is always associated with quality. Once a consumer develops this confidence in a particular brand they often become loyal and do not look elsewhere. Buying a particular branded apparel every time reduces their searching time, and also gives them the satisfaction that they are only buying a quality product.

Brands in the fashion/apparel industry consist of the following aspects:

• Brand image signifies the quality of the product, thus giving the consumer the satisfaction of buying quality items
  
• Apparel with a higher value may signify higher quality
  
• Limited distribution of the product symbolizes uniqueness to discerning consumers
  
• A brand indicates a status symbol, and satisfies the ego of the consumer that he/she is wearing a reputed company's outfit
  
• Branding helps in developing a customer commitment. Once the customer develops brand loyalty for the product, he/she jumps into a buying decision without much thinking as they already have a positive opinion about that particular brand

 

 

The key is to create and sustain a strong brand image in the domestic as well as the global market.

Branded products not only add a stylish image to the product it also gives something extra to the consumers. Branding helps the retailer to ‘push' the customer into sales. For example, if the customer is not confident about the quality of the fabric, they may hesitate to buy the article and so an added risk factor comes into buying this product. In today's market the consumer may then err on the side of caution and withdrawal from considering the product. However if the garment has a label mentioning a renowned brand name, it gives confidence to the consumer. Here, the brand name speaks the image the company has created over the years, and motivates the consumer to make the purchase decision. Our society contributes to some facts about every product over the years. During the course of time, these facts make the image of a product, thus building a strong brand. ‘Brand' does not essentially mean a logo or a name, it's the confidence the consumer has in the company and its product. Creating this confidence is one of the major keys in surviving the current market.