The retail trends that will shape 2022

Trade continues to change at a rapid pace. If you want to keep up, you should know the retail trends of tomorrow. From social shopping to second hand, FashionUnited provides an overview of the major retail trends that will shape 2022.

Social shopping

Social shopping, the approach of shopping online via social networks, is gradually becoming a general maxim. According to a survey by the Yougov opinion research institute, 20 percent of Germans have already bought something via a social network and a fifth of those surveyed say they have not yet done so, but can imagine. So far, Facebook and Instagram have been the most popular platforms for direct purchases.

It should be noted that social shopping includes several types. This also includes live shopping, which is also known as “shopping streaming” or “e-commerce streaming”. The content of a shopping stream varies from brand to brand, but it is usually a live video on Instagram or another social network in which one or more people present items from the current collection and with the audience interact via comments.

Brands that practice live shopping include Monki, Livy, Monnier Frères, IKKS, Galeries Lafayette Champs Elysées, among others.

Second hand

The second-hand market is growing and is expected to double in the next few years (2025) to a total of 34 billion euros (figures from Cross-Border Commerce Europe). According to a study, still buys of the GermanFashion association
only around a fifth of consumers used clothing, but the trend is clearly upwards. The management consultancy KPMG and the Cologne trade research institute EHI believe it is possible that second-hand clothing will achieve a market share of 20 percent in the next ten years. The purchase argument that the continued use of textiles is particularly sustainable speaks for people.

From Isabel Marant to C&A, many brands are exploring the used clothing market. Other brands that rely on it are: The Kooples, Sandro, H&M and Burberry.

Ethical values

Sustainability plays a bigger role in fashion shopping than before. This is not only observed by the buyers at premium department stores such as KaDeWe and Breuninger. von The analysis of more than 3000 interviews from the DACH region by KMPG has shown that 87 percent of people in Germany are willing to make concessions when shopping online if they serve the environment.

In Germany, sustainable shopping is already very pronounced among certain population groups, observes Ulla Ertelt, the managing director of the market research company HML Modemarketing. In the premium segment of women over 50 years of age and young people between 15 and 25 years of age, over 30 percent of people choose sustainable alternatives. The ethical aspect and transparency are therefore indispensable levers in order to retain customers.

Brands to take as an example: Faguo, Réuni, Le Slip Français.

The human experience (and not the customer experience)

Let’s stop talking about the “customer experience” but rather about “human experience”. This is the suggestion made in an article published on Linkedin by Regine Vanheems, an expert on omnichannel and phygitales. In her opinion, the shopping experience should not be oriented towards the customer, but rather be interested in the person: “One should no longer talk about the customer experience, but rather about the experience of a person as a whole.” She explains that Company should accompany the person in a friendly way on the life path and no longer just improve the experience at the contact points. The idea is to be present by the person’s side when they need it, rather than just getting in touch with them when you have a product to sell.

Brands to take as an example: Decathlon, Etam (two brands that will receive the award for excellent customer service, pardon people service, in 2021).

This article was written with the help of Julia Garel, Barbara Russ, Weixin Zha.