Digital Fashion BootCamp
A highlight of the event was the workshop, initiated by parsionate, in which manufacturers and retailers had an opportunity to discuss – on equal terms in working groups – the diverse range of topics relating to digitisation and its associated challenges. Solutions to problems were identified interactively, valuable contacts were made and new ideas were gathered.
PUMA Fit Intelligence
Charles Johnson, Global Director of Innovation at PUMA, kicked off the Digital Fashion BootCamp with his presentation of the PUMA Fit Intelligence (a self-lacing training shoe). As well as videos on “digitised” product innovations to discover, there was also lots more to see in the front row.
Data as the link between operational models in fashion
In his presentation entitled “Data as the link between operational models in fashion”, Sven Christian Andrä, Chief Digital Officer of the KLiNGEL Group, set out the digitisation strategy he is pursuing in the Group and the restructuring measures he believes are crucial to ensuring cost optimisation, which is so essential in the fashion industry. In his view, product information is standardised to a lesser degree in the fashion industry than in any other sector. And, for that reason, data structuring is increasingly becoming a strategic differentiator.
Disruption starts in the Mind of your Customer
André Morys, CEO & Founder of konversionsKRAFT, gave a presentation entitled “Disruption starts in the Mind of your Customer”, in which he made it clear that it simply isn’t enough to copy your competitors or other inspiring companies. Only through the agile implementation of mini-innovations that are in keeping with their corporate vision and strategy can companies hope to be successful and continue to grow in the long term.
How to revolutionize retail with 3D Avatars
Start-up founder Etienne Koo from twinster demonstrated the benefits of digitised body measurement and explained the principle underpinning digital twin technologies in her presentation, “How to revolutionize retail with 3D Avatars”. She outlined how fashion retailers can minimise return rates and increase consumer satisfaction with virtual fitting as offered by twinster. Consumers can have their measurements taken in the 3D body scanner and then receive size recommendations or suggestions as to which clothing (from partner companies) would suit them.
The Pain-Points of Fashion P2P processes, and how to overcome them
In his presentation – “The Pain-Points of Fashion P2P processes, and how to overcome them” – Claes Larsson, Operations Lead Retail Core at Zalando SE, turned the spotlight on the catastrophically high return rates of up to 70% in German online fashion retail. In his opinion, reasons for this trend include the lack of correct product data and the fact that a perfect fit is not guaranteed. High costs, huge workloads and a large environmental footprint were all covered by Larsson in his own unique and very informative manner. His discussion of the topic of automated software solutions for accounting also left a lasting impression. He explained, for example, that Zalando has been able to achieve significant time and cost savings since their business partners switched to digital, automated invoicing. Based on this positive experience, the company plans to also use process automation for ordering and for obtaining product information in future.
Digital Fashion BootCamp workshops
Process optimisation and the aim of automating the processing of product data were then discussed as leading topics in the Digital Fashion BootCamp workshop. The workshop took the form of a “World Café”, in which all participants had an opportunity to discuss three central topics relating to digitisation – product quality, supplier onboarding and artificial intelligence. Within heterogeneous working groups, the participants examined each topic in turn, availing of this opportunity to exchange their experiences. Working together to grapple with the challenges of the digitisation offensive in the fashion industry brought manufacturers and retailers closer together and broadened their perspectives to take in the huge diversity of industry-specific challenges.
A lack of quality as well as insufficient standardisation and sustainability in terms of product data lead to many challenges for both retailers and manufacturers. However, as parsionate sees it, there are also excellent opportunities for deriving benefits from these challenges. Companies can establish future-oriented processes and gain a competitive advantage by establishing a solid foundation consisting of high-quality master data and by strategically aligning business models towards a data-driven organisation.
Product Data Quality for a perfect Customer Experience
Stefanie Rößler, Senior Business Consultant at parsionate, hosted a workshop entitled “Product Data Quality for a perfect Customer Experience”, highlighting the fact that, ultimately, customer requirements and preferences can only be satisfied by a high level of quality and data integration. Providing the right information in a suitable data record at the right time and in the right channel determines, to a significant degree, whether a company can build a profitable, lasting relationship with customers.
Compliance, performance and risks – The challenges of supplier onboarding
Michael Weiß, Head of Strategic Consulting at parsionate, led a workshop on “Compliance, performance and risks – The challenges of supplier onboarding”, which focussed on the central administration of supplier data. He spoke with participants about standardised, automated workflows and processes for supplier onboarding and supplier collaboration that seek to improve efficiency and performance and reduce compliance risk.
How to be successful in retail through the use of AI and machine-learning-based solutions
Michael Pohl, Head of Presales Consulting at parsionate, headed up a workshop entitled “How to be successful in retail through the use of AI and machine-learning-based solutions”, with support from Sebastian Klumpp, Head of Content/Product data Management at K - Mail Order. Together, they demonstrated a software solution that is already being successfully used by the Klingel Group and discussed with participants the cost savings, efficiency gains and steps required to derive maximum benefit from AI innovations in retail.
Over the course of many of the discussions, we ascertained that our approach – DATA is KEY – is not yet fully established among all retailers and brands. In all discussions, however, it was clear that a central data management solution is an essential prerequisite for an efficient transformation of business models.
We regard data quality management of master data as a strategic task for companies. We work with our customers to develop company-wide data quality strategies and provide them with support during project management and technical implementation. Give us a call! We would be delighted to continue our dialogue with you following on from the Digital Fashion BootCamp.
We’re thrilled that the Digital Fashion BootCamp was so well attended and that the atmosphere at the event was so vibrant. The feedback we’ve received so far has been fantastic. Many thanks to the organisers at PUMA SE and to everyone who helped make this event possible