3D Technology: A New Dimension for wholesale

Wholesale took a hit during the pandemic, but it also resulted in an opportunity to revolutionize and bring fashion into the new frontier of scaling 3D. In 2021, wholesale’s process is striving for overall efficiency, not volume. As digitization has taken place throughout the fashion and wholesale industry, 3D technology has the potential to entirely change the way we do business with Digital Showroom startup HATCH at the forefront. Reducing samples and encouraging sales to work with quality not quantity is placing an emphasis on storytelling, engaging content and building relationships. With a sampleless process and seasonless sales, scaling 3D efforts in wholesale has the potential to make a positive impact by giving brands more control and flexibility.

Lightspeed go-to-market

Traditionally, producing physical samples usually took months, increasing lead times and keeping them far from the end consumer. What if 3D could bring wholesale into a new dimension because of its lightspeed go-to-market preparation? The flexibility that 3D unlocks presents means that brands are able to set their organizations up for a new sales season in a matter of days, instead of weeks or months. As more brands adopt the process to create sales samples digitally, 3D design technology can already add value by being a one-stop-shop. It has the ability to boost the design process and consistent quality renders in just one click. This new frontier of wholesale will be faster than ever and accessible from anywhere in the world. The next challenge will be about how to speed up the sales preparation process with consistent high quality renders of digital samples.

Seasonless sales

Brands might not need to go to market every season by using 3D technology, but instead present collections in small bursts. It’s even a possibility to be able to present many drops in one go to customers on a monthly basis. With high-quality digital samples created in days, brands could have more frequent yet less intensive touchpoints with customers. Moreover, showing the collections to the end consumer could also create a chance to gather data to help retailers learn what to buy for their market. Evolutions such as these could lead the industry to revolutionize the way we all think about seasons. Will there even be a need for a fashion season calendar in the future? From ideation to sales, new products can be offered more effectively and frequently with 3D.

Sampleless process

More than a year since lockdowns worldwide began, the supply chain still sees manufacturers prioritizing regular production over sample production. As a response, brands are incorporating 3D into their showrooms to help eliminate the constraints brought on by sample delays or inefficiencies. Cutting out physical samples could also mean saving in both production and shipping costs as well as being more sustainable. Transitioning into sample reduction can also open up the showroom to new possibilities, allowing it to be a hybrid storyteller. It also transforms the showroom from a space of display to more of an experience. Brands such as Tommy Hilfiger and Havaianas reduced sample production by 85%, focusing production on hero items. This in turn allowed them to reap the benefits of digitizing their samples by building more compact yet versatile wholesale assortments while simultaneously enhancing their marketing campaigns and optimizing their showroom into a hybrid space with a powerful digital story.

The Final Unlock: Better Sales

Change is never easy and telling Sales to work without physical samples may seem daunting to them. By showing how 3D unlocks can open up unforeseen possibilities such as creating cohesive and strong brand stories by using data collected is one positive way to start integrating the process internally to bring value. How can Sales utilize 3D technology to up their game and increase revenue? Show them that the room for flexibility and less error can save them time and be more cost efficient. This means refining how to integrate 3D samples into ways Sales are used working with physical samples. Then, arm the team with multiple workflow assets that are also of quality and value, immersing buyers into the world of the brand. Or offer the team brand stories that are time saving and implement better connectivity across systems. For example, would that mean more digital content such as videos, images or social media posts? On top of that, the entire showroom is now their stage to engage the customer in the brand’s most compelling story.

To learn more about how to digitize wholesale selling, visit HATCH for more resources