2012: Early experience in overseas apparel market

NEW YORK, USA: The retail industry has not yet emerged from the cold winter The weather on the East Coast of the United States this year is very unusual. The blizzards frequented in previous years have not shown up. It is said that this is the first time in 118 years in New York City that there has been no snowfall around Christmas, so the temperature in January was not so cold. However, the market's popularity in New York is not as warm and pleasant as this year's.

We arrived in New York in mid-January. It may be that the Christmas shopping discount season is over. There are not many discount activities in the mall and the passenger flow is not very strong. The store on the Fifth Avenue is full of big stores. Bergdorf Goodman, a high-end department store, also lacks interest during the weekend. The clerk saw that Chinese consumers are very enthusiastic and hope to have more sales. Saks Fifth Avenu and Macy Department Stores are not many customers in these high-end shopping malls, mainly local customers. As for the large outlets such as Woodberry, the Chinese have been regarded as the main target consumer groups and adjusted according to Chinese habits in the entire service system setting. In fact, basically Chinese tour groups will visit here. Clothing, especially knitted garments, has grown in popularity in Pakistan, Vietnam, Cambodia, even Sri Lanka and Indonesia. In the past few years, from the clothing to the clothing of the US-owned local brand Brooks Brother, almost all Chinese goods dominated the world, and goods from Vietnam, Egypt and Cambodia have gradually increased. At the same time, clothing that is less than $150 generally feels that retail prices have risen by more than $10 from last summer. A&F is definitely an alternative and there are still queues.

In stark contrast to the relative demise of the department store retail, the Apple New York flagship store located at the south side of the Central Park and the glass entrance to the Louvre and the underground space oscillates. In the 24-hour store, even in the middle of the night, it is still bustling. Americans' obsession with new technology products is evident. Although income does not increase, people can not buy new clothes, but the new Apple products can not be abandoned.

The Spring Festival of China Textile and Garment Trade Show (New York) was held in the same period. The National Retailers Union (NRF) Conference was also held in the Javits Center. It was mainly the display of retail technology and various forums. The China Import and Export Fair was also a grand event. Silver Sponsor. The major department stores and chain giants are all on the scene, including IBM, CISCO, HP, NCR and other familiar IT and communications giants. At the huge booth, they focused on the latest sales management database, point-of-sale (POS), and various cash register devices. The overall feeling is that they are moving closer to mobile wallets and other electronic currencies, and the concept of cloud computing is hot.

Comments: The US retail industry is struggling under the influence of the economic environment, and the development of new technologies and new equipment is still in full swing. Does this indicate that there is a cycle of economic prosperity and that it is not far off at the worst days?

Market Turning:★★☆☆☆

Seattle, United States: potential for outdoor leisure clothing When it comes to the apparel market in Seattle, we must first talk about the climate characteristics of the area, because it is directly related to people's clothing. Seattle is close to the Pacific Ocean, and it is mountainous and watery. The oceans add to the mountainous climate. Summer is cool and the only sunshine season. The rest is the rainy season. It enters the rainy season every year in September and October and continues until May and June of the following year. Therefore, the most popular among Seattleers is a waterproof hooded casual jacket. Everyone has a number of waterproof jackets that suit various temperatures. From the lightweight single-layer fabrics in the summer to the mezzanine coats in spring and autumn, the winter cotton coats and the garments that are waterproof fabrics have a market. Only the sunny summer season is the colorful season. Beautiful women and children will put the most beautiful colors on them.

The winter temperature in Seattle is generally not lower than zero, and winter is also the rainy season. The temperature in the city mostly lasts from 4°C to 9°C. Therefore, the demand for thick cotton clothes is small, unless you wear a ski suit unless you are hard to get snow. Seattle is the ski season in winter and it is a 1-hour drive to the natural ski area. Skiing is an important sports and entertainment project in the winter, so the skiing clothes here are easy to buy and the discounts are many. Everyone will prepare one or two sets.

Waterproof jackets are basically favored by The North Face, Columbia, these two big brands, these brands will lose no time in different shopping sites discounts. In addition, discount stores are the main choice for most Seattleers to purchase clothing, such as local Nordstrom Rack, Seattle Outlets and so on. A classic trench coat sold in these discount stores is about $300, Coach shoes $70/double, and Levi's jeans are $40/bar.

In my opinion, the clothing stores here are always discounted, but the discounts are small or large. The big discounts are basically Thanksgiving, Christmas and the end of each quarter. People who come to Seattle often go to Marshalls. Marshalls, a well-known nationwide chain store, has a lot of designer clothes, which are several times cheaper than those on the market. They can be branded, good quality, and cheap.

Seattle's children's wardrobe is full. My daughter has a lot of small dress skirts that are bought in Baby Gap, OshKosh, Gmyboree, Old Navy, and Carter's. It's a few dollars cheaper, and yours is over 30 dollars.

Comments: Seattle should belong to an IT city, Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, etc. are gathered here. Therefore, most consumers in Seattle don't pay much attention to wearing. Casual, casual, comfortable, and easy-to-handle clothing are preferred.

Market Turning:★★★☆☆

London, United Kingdom: Ultra-low discounts drive consumer recovery Each year from the end of December to the beginning of February is the busiest time for major UK clothing stores. The discount from Christmas has not yet ended, and the new models for the spring and summer of 2012 have also been added. It is not difficult to find some changes in the New Year's clothing market in London during this period of handover.

The most concentrated shoppers in London are the centrally located Oxford Street, Regent Street, and Bond Street. These three intertwined commercial streets cover almost the middle and low-end prices. To luxury luxury clothing brands and several famous British large-scale department stores. During the period from the beginning of the discount to the beginning of the year, huge passenger traffic was concentrated in Selfridges Department Store on Oxford Street and Harrods Department Store near Knightsbridge. Among these consumers, in addition to the British local residents and students studying in the UK, a large part of them are tourists who come to London for a holiday or choose to visit London during this period, in order to snap up discount clothing and luxury in the first place. Products. In addition, for example, Zara, H&M, Top Shop, Primark, etc., have a large number of discounted products and a large discount. The British domestic brand Next even needs to put consumers in batches to control the order in the store, so that there are long lines outside the store.

With the discounts coming to an end, the flow of people on Oxford Street has returned to normal, but Top Shop and Primark are still considered to be the brands with higher traffic. Both brands come from the United Kingdom but take a completely different route. Top Shop is considered to be one of the most trendy clothing brands in the UK. Each season has a strong sense of design. Compared with other brands, Top Shop is avant-garde, which makes its customers mainly young people. At the same time, its excellent mix and match display and different seasons and novel window themes are the highlights of Top Shop. Primark is a low-end brand and aims at parity. Its business scope ranges from clothing to home furnishings. The business strategy is to purchase a large amount of goods at low cost and attract consumers at the lowest price.

Almost all brands have a large discount during this discount season. In the early stages of discounting, the discount on goods is basically 5-7 fold. In recent days, with the reduction in the number of remaining goods, discounts have reached 2 to 70%, and new supplies have been added.

For major brands in the new season, they are also looking for a balance between the trend of the spring and summer 2012 fashion release and the aesthetics of consumers, and will try to meet the needs of various consumer groups. Some brands have launched special series designed for pregnant women and special models for tall or petite consumers.

Comments: Overall, the London clothing market has gradually shaken off the impact of the economic crisis. The brands gradually improved the shopping system and created more comfortable and convenient space for consumers at different levels.

Market Turning:★★★☆☆

Victoria, Seychelles: During the spring festival when the market was small and narrow, the reporter went to Seychelles, an archipelago country in the Indian Ocean in East Africa. He also conducted a preliminary survey on local textiles and clothing.

Because the shops in downtown Victoria, the capital of Seychelles, ceased operations on Saturday afternoon, the reporter deliberately visited some clothing stores in the downtown area on Saturday morning and discovered that there were no clothing brands and no clothing stores. Clothing was It is mixed with other goods such as handbags, shoes, and jugs, and nearly 20% of the city's clothing stores are for tourists. When the reporter returned to Victoria's city center in the afternoon, he discovered that the shops there were closed, the clothing store was closed, the bank was closed, and only a few supermarkets operated by Indians were still open.

Seychelles is a country in the tropical rainforest islands near the equator in the Indian Ocean. Even at the lowest temperatures in January and February, it is 25°C. In June and July, when the hottest temperatures reach nearly 40°C, locals only need to wear summer clothes. .

The clothing worn by local people in Seychelles is mainly produced in Southeast Asian countries and India, but also a small amount produced in China, but the market share is less than Europe and the United States. According to reporters' observations and interviews with locals in several small shops in Victoria City, China’s garments account for only 20% or even less.

Seychelles is a relatively backward developing country. The general consumption level of residents is limited. Therefore, the price of clothing is not high. The price of a seven-point pants in summer is about 1.25 yuan and the price of men's underwear is 20 yuan. ***about. Seychelles has a large number of fake and shoddy products, including counterfeit GUCCI and LV women's handbags, as well as a large number of counterfeit European and American brand-name products, such as QUICK SILVER beach pants, men's T-shirts with ARMANI EXCHANGE, D&G and so on. But did not see China's clothing brand, the local people do not know much about Chinese clothing.

The economy of Seychelles is relatively backward and the consumption level is low. The population is only about 80,000, so the consumer market is very small. Seychelles’s local folk costume is a bit like the Indian dress worn on the beach on vacation. The style of home textile products in the local market is very simple, there is no brand, and it is a bargain, a bit like the level of my country's textile products 40 years ago. Because of the hot climate, Seychelles do not wear home clothes at home. Many people wear summer shorts or beach pants on their doorsteps. These products are mostly from Southeast Asia. Because Seychelles is located in the Indian Ocean and there are many Indians living together, the local people are affected more by the customs of Indian life.

Comment: China's garments have a small share in Seychelles and still have the potential to open up. However, because of the climate and other reasons, the types of textiles and apparel sold to this market are subject to greater restrictions.

Market Turning:★★☆☆☆