Membership and Digital Id: the earliest trends in Retail for 2021

The market world associated with Fashion begins the new year in the name of a relaunch, immediately presenting two interesting innovations

Paid memberships and digital identity to trace articles. These seem to be the main trends to inaugurate the year which has just started. Fashion retailers, basically, are in search of new ways to remain in step with the significant changes underway.

The membership phenomenon – Fashion, too, is joining the membership game

In the beginning, there were “subscription boxes” launched by beauty brands a few years ago or so. The model in which customers pay a fixed fee to have privileges associated with their loyalty by subscribing to a membership, did not take long to breakthrough into the Fashion industry. The first experiments in this regard took place in America between 2018 and 2019.

To pioneer this, the case of Lululemon, important Canadian sportswear Retailer, who launched its annual offer exactly two years ago. In exchange for 128 Canadian dollars, those who subscribed to the package received a pair of shorts, personalized cards and passes for yoga and fitness classes as well as for special events. A service aimed at encouraging loyalty by those who participated, which also brought with it a certain value of exclusivity.

Now, the time has finally come to export the new trend to Europe as well: who gets to break the ice? H&M. Through their own brand, Singular Society, the fast fashion giant offers its members exclusive access to products and services. With this solution, the Swedish company tries, among other things, to conjugate economic convenience and sustainability with quality, design, and transparency.

Analyzing the operation in greater detail, we discover that in the launch phase there will be an “entry deal” membership, which allows for the purchase of 5 products per month at a monthly price of € 9.50, as well as a “Plus” membership, which instead allows for the purchase of 25 products per month, this time for a fee of € 19.50. A discount is offered when subscribing and immediately paying for a full year membership.

The challenge to reinvent fast fashion for H&M has, therefore, begun. Let us sit back and watch whether the project will be successful and whether other brands will consequently follow suit.

Digital identification card: the history of an article of clothing is just a QR code away

We have dealt with the subjects of sustainability and circularity on our blog on more than one occasion. The innovation set up by Yoox Net-A-Porter goes precisely in the direction of these now essential objectives. The digital identification card to trace the history of an outfit will come to life with two pilot projects by Digital Id, both related to the models from two new collections.

Thanks to a QR code sewn inside the garments, customers will be able to access information such as the origin of the clothing, its relative design, the care instructions, and some style suggestions. The long-term goal is that of offering new services, such as the management of a virtual wardrobe or the options for re-commerce and recycling, in order to, therefore, create fashion that is continuously more circular. Furthermore, it will also be possible to access exclusive information, interesting content, and all initiatives available for that specific garment.

“With the development of this eco-system for digital identification”, Yoox Net-A-Porter states, “the key life phases of the garments, such as alterations or their sale, will be added to their digital identity just like stamps on a passport, providing each article the opportunity for a second life with a new owner or the opportunity to be adequately recycled, helping us to change our perspective on the longevity of a product and on the circularity in Fashion and in Luxury”.

This turning point in the direction of total traceability is the same spirit which brings AutoID Suite by Bizeta to life, the solution that simplifies logistics in the Retail field. The software is suitable to any need, allowing operations such as the visualization of reading information, the creation of centralized documents and the verification through barcode reader. For management that is always in line with the latest technologies and trends from the world of commerce.