Why Salesforce Commerce Cloud is the Perfect Fit for the Fashion Industry

There are two types of fashion: clothing and footwear that only last a season, and those quality garments that stand the test of time. (Ok, perhaps there are more types of fashion depending on the angle you are looking at. But stay with me for this metaphor!)

With its smooth, fresh looks and flexible functionality, Salesforce Commerce Cloud remains in vogue, and has been at the vanguard of ecommerce platforms for years. And it is used a lot by the leading 500 ecommerce brands, which we now know thanks to the yearly release of the Top500 report by British website Internet Retailing, which carries out in-depth analysis and research in the sector.

Among the 500, there are 40% that are apparel and fashion accessories brands. And guess which ecommerce platform is the most popular (ehem, fashionable) among them? You got it: Salesforce Commerce Cloud. The ecommerce platform — which has its very own office skyscraper called Salesforce Tower — is used by 16% of fashion brands.

Second in the list of popularity is Magento Enterprise, which fits 14.6% of fashion brands. The other core platforms include Amplience, which holds 9.4% of the fashion brands; as well as Hybris, which also takes 9.4%; IBM Websphere which is just behind these two with 9.2%; and finally Oracle Commerce, which hosts 6.2% of fashion brands.

So what makes Salesforce Commerce Cloud the perfect fit for fashion brands?

The truth is that the fashion industry and ecommerce industry are undergoing rapid transformations. Of course, fashion as an industry — in the modern sense of the word — stretches back to the middle of the 19th century, with an English fella named Charles Frederick Worth, who founded the high-fashion House of Worth.

What began as an elitist industry broke down its walls and by the mid-20th century, questions of fashion became not only the concern of the aristocratic and rich slithers of society, but for the many.

Combine this with technological revolutions and evolution over the last two centuries, with particular emphasis on the last 30 years, with the birth and earth-trembling effects of the internet and ecommerce. This is a technological revolution that we are continuing to live through.

And any industry that touches ecommerce becomes wrapped into its orbit. To keep on top of fast-paced changes, one needs to feel comfortable with change. This is a sentiment that is shared by renowned fashion designer John Varvatos.

“I find in fashion, it’s moving so quickly that we need to move,” John told Salesforce during an interview. “If you get yourself locked into getting comfortable with something, you’re in the wrong place because everything is moving so quickly today.”

Your ecommerce platform is the place where this change is going to be communicated most strongly — besides your stores, of course. And Salesforce Commerce Cloud (which we abbreviate to SFCC here at UV) has been a consistent presence as a leader in hosting top fashion brands.

SFCC combines smooth image integration with clear communication between the shop floor, the warehouse and your website, so that your store workers know what products remain available, and that your website accurately displays which items are available. (The last thing you want to do is to allow potential customers to think that those shoes that they’ve been saving up for are actually out of stock.)

And if you’re a big brand with seemingly endless styles and shades of the same item — from a textbook plain white shirt down to those customized necklaces, and everything in between. For small-scale ecommerce platforms, as well as overgrown quality content management systems that extend into ecommerce platforms, it is difficult to handle such a complex network of products, promotions, stock levels, language and currency controls etc.   

When you’re handling a lot of cargo, or have ambitions for your current small-to-medium sized business, you want to set sail on a cargo ship that has both size and strength, not a canal boat that struggles with the weight.

PS: UV is one of the world’s leading Salesforce Commerce Cloud (Demandware) development & strategy teams. Contact us to see how we can work together.