Social media when used wisely can give a casual and conversational extension to a retail company’s selling promotional campaigns and result in sales. Apparel companies are now using various kinds of social media to create a compelling customer journey according to age group and socioeconomic levels to better form the tactics and strategies that are needed to sell their products. Apparel retailers cannot just afford to stick to a single social platform as putting all their eggs in one basket might not work and as they need to know what sells best where, where, and how.

Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok lead the bandwagon

Analysts feel orders placed through social media in the US will probably reach $130 billion by 2026 and in Asian countries, it will be even higher. It started with Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta – earlier known as only Facebook—when he announced major inroads into e-commerce in March 2019, with the launch of Checkout, a feature that would allow consumers to buy products directly on its apps. Retail companies on social media quickly realized they can engage directly with people at just about any point of the customer lifecycle to sell any suitable apparel and accessory product to anyone in the world.

As Meta pushed further into e-commerce with an added new Shops feature, which allows businesses to list products directly on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. This became a substantial money-making opportunity and a win-win situation for both small and large brands, when the pandemic struck and shopping became mainly online.

However, in post-pandemic times too, although retail sales online through social media have reduced, apparel brands are quickly learning the ropes of including social commerce intelligently without diverting sales from their own sites. Brands across the world have understood the power and reach of influencer marketing and analysts feel Indian retail Rs 900 crore market would grow 25 percent annually to become a Rs 2,000 crore industry by 2025. Globally retailers are reaching out to both macro and micro-influencers to create a buzz around products and eventually drive sales by creating customized promo codes and discounts.

Social influencers and selling platforms do well in Asia

Platforms like TikTok, Pinterest, and Poshmark are doing extremely well with the younger generations and are sprucing up their commercial features this year. Instagram in particular is a boon for apparel retailers today in terms of social selling through impulse buying and peer pressure. Asian markets with a large population of aspirational young people have seen great success in fusing social media and e-commerce although in the West, sales are slower these days. Women’s health brand Perelel, ladies’ handbag seller Modern Picnic and men’s apparel brand Rhone have all debuted on Instagram and other live-selling platforms to run ads featuring products available in the shop or to unveil new collections of apparel and accessories.

Asian markets have seen success in fusing social media and e-commerce. US-based data analytics firm Coresight Research highlights sales through social platforms surpassed $400 billion in China but reached just $53 billion in the US in 2022. Live shopping, where brands sell goods through live streams, accounted for $190 billion in online sales in China last year whereas it was only $20 billion in the US. Analysts say if brands in the US could use live shopping, which is all about brand representatives explaining products and answering audience questions, it will increase popularity and create a brand connection with returning and new consumers.

The modern social media user is a millennial one, comfortable with the way online shopping works. Brands need to understand they are already functioning in a space where the consumer is spending time and it’s just about how to intelligently convert that into a few taps that will convert into sales and keep their cash registers ringing.

In the apparel and textile sector of the US, the Institute of Supply Management's latest report on manufacturing business reveals a sixth consecutive month of contraction in April, following a period of 28 months of expansion.

However, there were some bright spots as five manufacturing industries, including printing and related support activities, apparel, leather and allied products, experienced growth during the month.

The purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for April in the apparel and textile sector was at a reading of 47.1%, slightly up from 46.3% in March. The production index value for April stood at 48.9%, indicating a decrease in output compared to previous months. The pricing index increased by 4 percentage points to 53.2%, reflecting rising input costs in the sector.

The US economy has been in recession for the past six months, following a 30-month period of growth. The apparel and textile sector remains an important part of the manufacturing industry, and its performance can be a useful indicator of the broader economic trends in the country.

Bangladesh's RMG exports have continued to grow in the first ten months of fiscal year FY23, increasing by 9.09 per cent to $38.577 billion. This marks a significant achievement for the country's RMG sector, which continues to be a key driver of Bangladesh's economy.

According to provisional data released by the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), woven RMG exports showed a faster pace of growth than knitwear, with an increase of 9.24 per cent to $17.609 billion compared to exports of $16.119 billion in July-April 2022. Knitwear exports, on the other hand, increased by 8.97 per cent to $20.967 billion in the same period, up from $19.242 billion in the previous fiscal year.

Despite a decrease in home textile exports by 29.34 per cent to $940.8 million during the period under review, woven and knitted apparel, clothing accessories, and home textile exports together accounted for 86.51 per cent of Bangladesh's total exports of $45.677 billion during July-March FY23.

It is worth noting that Bangladesh achieved an all-time high in the value of its RMG exports in 2021-22, reaching $42.613 billion, representing a 35.47 per cent increase compared to the previous fiscal year's exports of $31.456 billion. This is a significant accomplishment, especially considering the global economic slowdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The growth in Bangladesh's garment exports is a testament to the resilience and adaptability of the country's RMG sector, which has continued to thrive despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.

The European Union's (EU) apparel imports have suffered a decline in the first two months of 2023, dropping by $322 million or 2.03% compared to the same period last year.

However, China remains the EU's top supplier of apparel, providing 26.27% of the bloc's total apparel imports. Despite this, clothing imports from China fell by 13.11% year-on-year to $4.08 billion. On the other hand, apparel imports from Bangladesh, the EU's second-largest supplier, increased by 5.47% year-on-year, or $183 million.

The average price of imported garment items in the EU increased, with different countries witnessing varying price hikes. The average price increased by 8.97% to $24.88 per kg. The unit price of garment items produced in Bangladesh increased by 8.75% year-on-year in the January-February period. China saw the lowest price hike for its clothes in the EU with a 3.97% increase, while Indonesia witnessed the highest with 22.97%. Meanwhile, the price of apparel from Turkey saw growth of 13.95%, Vietnam 13.01%, Cambodia 12.05%, India 9.16%, and Morocco 7.78%.

This trend in the EU's apparel imports highlights the constantly evolving global market and the importance of adapting to changing economic conditions.

Cotton Incorporated, a research and marketing company funded by US cotton producers and importers, has launched a new advertising campaign, "Memories are Made in Cotton," to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its Seal of Cotton trademark.

The campaign, aimed at millennials and Generation Z, aims to promote the use of cotton in apparel and remind consumers to look for the cotton seal when shopping.

Brands can leverage the recognizability and popularity of the Seal of Cotton to create marketing efforts that benefit both the brand and consumers. According to Cotton Incorporated’s 2023 Seal of Cotton Survey, 82% of consumers say they can rely on the product or brand associated with the seal, and 81% say a brand using the logo helps them make informed buying decisions. The survey also found that nearly 8 in 10 consumers have an awareness of the Seal of Cotton, far more than other fibers.

The Seal of Cotton offers brands a point of distinction and has shown a double-digit return on investment when used on cotton products.

ASEAN countries are looking to strengthen their ties with Russia to gain access to its markets and source cheap energy and commodities.

The recent ASEAN-Russia Senior Officials’ Meeting focused on improving ties between Russia and the ASEAN member countries, including Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, The Philippines, Myanmar, and Bangladesh.

ASEAN’s total GDP reached $3.3 trillion in 2021, making up 3.5% of global GDP, and its energy needs are growing by an estimated 3.5% per annum. Developing closer cooperation with ASEAN is mentioned in Russia's new foreign policy concept.

Trade between ASEAN and Russia reached around $20bn in 2021, with ASEAN exports to Russia dominating trade. ASEAN is an important area to balance Russia’s power and economy, given the economic crisis it faces due to the war in Ukraine and sanctions.

Regarding the imports of textiles and garments, ASEAN countries have been increasing their exports to Russia in recent years. In 2020, ASEAN's exports of textiles and garments to Russia amounted to approximately $1.1 billion, an increase of 15.5% from the previous year. Thailand is the largest exporter of textiles and garments to Russia among the ASEAN countries, followed by Vietnam and Indonesia.

US lawmakers are investigating some of the largest clothing companies in the world for using forced labor in their supply chains, potentially violating US trade law.

The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party has written to Temu, Shein, Nike, and Adidas North America, asking about the use of materials and labor sourced from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region of China.

Any such use would be a violation of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act of 2021, according to the letters. The Committee has given the companies until 16 May to respond to its questions about suppliers and supply chain policies.

Chinese brands Shein and Temu are also accused of using a 90-year-old loophole to avoid tariffs on goods sold to US consumers.

Sri Lanka's apparel industry, which constitutes the country's largest industrial export, is bracing for a significant decline of up to $1 billion this year, as global demand continues to slow down, warns a top industry expert, as reported by Reuters.

The industry earned $5.95 billion in 2022, playing a crucial role in pulling Sri Lanka through its worst financial crisis since independence. However, the sector is struggling in the first quarter of 2023, with a 13.8% drop in textiles and garment exports to $1.3 billion, according to the country's central bank. Additionally, exports in March hit a three-year low.

Yohan Lawrence, Secretary General of the Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF), says that the current slowdown in demand could result in a $1 billion reduction in exports this year. The United States, the largest buyer, saw shipments drop 22% to $470 million, while exports to the European Union fell 13% to $344 million. The industry's competitiveness has also been impacted by a 66% power tariff hike in February.

Garment exports from Sri Lanka declined by 18.8% in January 2023, standing at $388.9 million compared to $478.9 million in the same period last year, according to statistics released by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. Textile exports in January 2023 also fell by 1.2% year-on-year to $27.4 million, with exports of other made-up textile articles down 14.6% at $8.1 million, according to the central bank’s report titled ‘External Sector Performance’. Overall, 54.28% of all industrial exports from Sri Lanka during the period consisted of Textiles, garment, and other made-up textile articles’ exports, totaling $424.4 million and down 17.8% from the same period last year.

On the other hand, imports of textiles and textile articles dropped by 31.3% to $217.5 million, while clothing and accessories imports went down by 20.3% to $18.2 million during January 2023, according to the same report.

Gartex Texprocess India, a trade fair jointly organized by Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India and MEX Exhibitions, is set to showcase the latest innovations in textile and garment manufacturing.

With over 125 companies participating, the Mumbai edition of the event will feature a co-located Denim Show and a featured zone on Screen Print India-Textile, providing opportunities to tap new markets and evaluate new technologies.

The exhibition will offer a platform for industry professionals to showcase their latest products and collaborate on innovative solutions. As modern garment and apparel machinery increasingly incorporates automation, energy efficiency, and sustainability, textile producers are turning to updated equipment to streamline production and reduce costs. This has led to the introduction of high-quality, environment-friendly products that are capable of high-efficient production.

Gartex Texprocess India is considered one of the most trusted textile and garment machinery exhibitions in the country. The event's co-located Denim Show and Screen Print India-Textile will feature the latest technological offerings in screen printing, digital sublimation, and textile printing.

The trade fair will also see the convergence of CEOs, senior industry representatives, ministries and departments of the central and state governments, user industries, and specialists under one roof.

The Mumbai edition of Gartex Texprocess will feature top brands such as IIGM, E.H Turel, Balaji Sewing Machines, True Colour, Jaysynth, Mehala, Orange O tech, DCC, Epson, Jindal Worldwide, Raymond UCO Denim, and more.

The second edition of Gartex Texprocess India in Mumbai will take place from May 11 to 13, 2023, at the Jio World Convention Centre, BKC.