Mellisa dress by Khukhuz for Modafirma

As of recent years the internet has rapidly become the most effective and perhaps efficient  way for fashion labels to promote, market, sell and reach a global audience.  In general in order for an emerging fashion brand to become recognised within the fashion sector they  ultimately need to sell their merchandise online to a global audience. Scalability and fast ascension of fashion brands are wholly dependent on how much they sell and to whom. Thus, the web has become a conduit for facilitating this process in the sector as a whole. According to recent research by e-marketer an authority on digital marketing, online commerce and retail; Online sales of fashion apparel and accessories are growing exponentially at a rate of 20% a year. By 2016 the online fashion and accessories sales will account for approximately $75 Billion in the US solely, accounting for a rough estimate of 20% of the entire  online sales global market. Yet despite this rapid growth trajectory, doubts still arise when confronting the issue of whether to sell or not to sell online. These doubts are primarily focused around the  fact that customers need to touch, feel and even try on the item. Of course with favourable return and delivery policies this should not really be an issue, the speed of delivery and accessibility to new and emergent brands in one centralised place online should really outweigh the potential downside. Nonetheless, fashion designers still second guess the benefits of having an online ecommerce presence. It must be strongly stipulated that grasping the opportunity to establish an ecommerce presence is not only pivotal for brands to build long term success it is perhaps one of the most effective methods for them to generate higher profit margins that would normally be scuppered away via the non optimised wholesaler and buying process that exists within the fashion sector overall. In fact profit margins have been shown to be significantly increased by approximately 20-30%.  Why is this? Well for a fact having an online ecommerce presence allows fashion brands and fashion designers to locate their customers and build up a brand following. Furthermore, it affords customers with the ability to establish a more comfortable and trustworthy online brand experience. The barriers that many emergent brands face are centred around competition with other existent and established online brands and wholesalers that can also provide a means for revenue flow and exposure in the near term. However, the internet is a fluid environment with multifarious consumer traffic. We have seen the proliferation of  mobile technology and commercial applications that allow consumers to buy on the go. By simply ignoring these mediums established and non established brands will ultimately see their profit margins compromised in the long term overall. Having an online presence can also ramp up sales on other sites by creating a stir that may not be found anywhere else. This is especially true if emergent brand’s merchandise is unique and appeals to those who are looking for fashion items that “are not just on the high street” or for those who are simply “logo tired”. Whilst, it has been proven that having online e-commerce presence is highly viable, in many cases it is simply too expensive and expertise requiring for an up and coming designer to be able to create a well designed functional website. As of recent there have been many subscription based or revenue sharing ready models available on the market such as Etsy, Shopify and Tictail. Modafirma has capitalised on the need for talented emergent designers to sell  and showcase in a credible fashion space.  The platform provides different levels of CMS based, social media embedded boutiques and galleries for carefully selected designers to sell globally and directly to consumers. So far they have managed to gain designers from over 30 countries globally that are actively selling and showcasing in a centralised,  peer to peer friendly and social environment. To sell or not to sell online is a redundant question? If you want to get recognised, build credible fashion enterprises and grow your business fast and furiously we say it loudly “Sell online”.