Opinion: Fashion's data revolution has already begun

Artificial intelligence, automation, the Internet of Things and big data are all starting to shape a new environment based on technological innovation.

The rise of data in particular has the potential to create new opportunities for clothing retailers, helping them tailor products directly to their consumer base by using information to improve the supply chain process.

For some outlets, the data revolution has already begun.

Online fashion retailer Boohoo has developed a sales model based on the careful use of data.

Dubbed ‘test and repeat’, this method sees the retailer make small quantities of clothes and quickly ramping up production of the best-selling third of products.

“UK retailers could save over £20bn a year by closing the ‘size gap’ – the difference between the sizes customers purchase and the size that they actually are”

The strategy has proved a runaway success, helping profits double in its last financial year.

Similarly, the eco-conscious clothing company Patagonia uses its customer data to improve the shopping experience, factoring in current trends and historical data to determine which products to purchase and distribute online and in-store.

The scope for data to improve efficiency is enormous, with fashion retailers looking for insight in their customer base to minimise waste by producing clothes that are cut to specifically match their clientele.

Indexes which track the clothes customers buy and compare them to the shopper’s unique body measurements aim to do just that.

UK retailers could save over £20bn a year by closing the ‘size gap’ – the difference between the sizes customers purchase and the size that they actually are.

Like all breakthrough technologies, the big data revolution presents businesses with a mixture of challenges and opportunities for the best way to store, manage and use customer information.

But, if done with care, solving the data puzzle could keep fashion retailers in business for years to come.