The materials science and digital identification solutions provider Avery Dennison has released its ‘Digital Consumer Behaviour’ research, which was created in collaboration with audience insights firm GWI.
The study examined the attitudes and behaviours of more than 6,300 clothing shoppers across seven countries – UK US, France, Germany, China, Mexico and Japan.
It discovered that consumers are still quite open to frictionless touchpoints that would improve their in-store experience, such as mobile checkouts and digital receipts. Consumers all over the world continue to be interested in scanning digital labels on clothing using technologies like QR codes, RFID, and NFC to gain information about and interact with products before and after a purchase.
For instance, 60 per cent of fashion consumers worldwide see value in using their smartphone to scan a QR code on a garment to learn about correct care. Furthermore, 71 per cent of respondents from all around the world said it was important to them for fashion businesses to be open about their manufacturing processes.
In addition, the survey revealed that virtual experiences and NFTs were becoming more widely used, particularly by fashion consumers. Nearly 51 per cent of respondents worldwide expressed interest in taking a digital inventory of their wardrobe.
Also, consumers are now able to combine the gaming and fashion worlds thanks to the metaverse and NFTs. Due to this trend, over 47 per cent of fashion consumers worldwide are interested in virtual experiences, and more than 33 per cent said they would be keen to purchase digital clothing for their virtual gaming characters. On a global scale, male purchasers are more inclined to engage with technology, especially the metaverse or virtual platforms.
Six out of ten fashion consumers worldwide recognise the benefit of scanning a QR code to learn about correct garment maintenance, which in turn increases the lifespan of the clothes.
According to the survey, people are generally more comfortable with digital triggers on clothing than they were in 2021. Buyers who claim to employ digital triggers for conscious wash care recommendations and to seek confirmation of garment identification have significantly increased in China, Europe, and the US.
This bodes well for the apparel industry as it embraces more digital-labelling and supply chain transparency with new legislation on the horizon in Europe and the US.
“Digital technology continues to create new and exciting opportunities within retail,” said Michael Colarossi, Vice President, Innovation, Product Line Management and Sustainability, Apparel Solutions at Avery Dennison.
“These findings confirm fashion shoppers expect stores and products to be enhanced with smart digital solutions that will make their experience more convenient, informative and engaging. Consumers want tech tools to help them make conscious decisions, and adopt habits such as resale and recycling” he added.
