New analysis of 100 leading fashion e-commerce sites throughout lockdown has found that those with an active blog capitalized on the competition and made the most of the pandemic’s online shopping boom.

The research, conducted by digital marketing agency Impression, analyzed the top 100 leading fashion e-commerce websites, based on 26 factors including their domain rating (DR), number of top 10 organic Google rankings, average monthly traffic, and estimated traffic value to find the specific elements contributing to a fashion brand’s online presence.

Topping the study’s rankings was online US shoe retailer Zappos.com, closely followed by Gap.com and Nike.com, all performing well in the key areas.

The study found multiple factors that were pivotal to the success of Zappos.com in Google’s search rankings, including the amount of authoritative websites linking to the domain, the speed of the site and its accessibility for all visitors.

But, the factor to have the biggest impact on the success of all the top sites was an active blog or press page. An analysis of these 100 sites and 2,600 data points show that blogs had the biggest positive correlation with the amount of organic traffic to a site, which in turn means more potential customers. Those with an active blog page saw 277 per cent more traffic on average than those with an outdated blog page.

Vietnam has surpassed Bangladesh in exporting textile and clothing products during the first six months of 2020. The country earned $13.18 billion in the January-June period by exporting textile and sewing products, according to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh fetched $11.92 billion by exporting readymade garment products during the same period, data provided by Export Promotion Bureau of Bangladesh show. However, both countries have witnessed a decline in their export earnings.

Bangladesh’s apparel sector has saw a sharp decline during March, April and May as production and the supply chain were disrupted due to the lockdown enforced to stop the spread of coronavirus, said Mohammad Hatem, Vice President, BKMEA. Vietnam’s production was not disrupted much by the pandemic as the country did a better job of controlling the spread of the virus. Its ability to run factories amid the pandemic also helped in this regard.

Domestic outdoor adventure products maker Wildcraft is pursuing its journey of next phase of growth by raising capital from private equity investors in the next 12 to 24 months to fund its future expansion.

The company plans to shift to being an just an Indian-born firm to one completely relying on talent in India, with its manufacturing in India taking wings and possibly helping in a small way making an impact globally.

Moreover, it would also take the road less taken to reality by becoming the biggest lifestyle player in India this year, beating global majors like Nike, Adidas, Reebok and Puma and crossing the Rs 1,000 crore turnover mark.

In the wake of the pandemic, the company has also forayed into personal protective gear (PPG) category and launched its re-usable PPE coverall (Hz Series of Hazmats) and protective masks 'Supermask', deploying around one lakh workforce as it scales up manufacturing and distribution of these new products.

However, the bigger picture for the company is beyond these milestones and it wants to play its part in building a new self reliant-India in the post-COVID era.

The pandemic has prompted clothing subscription company Rent the Runway to shut all of stores for good. Rent the Runway made this decision in order to focus investments on digital segment and adding more drop boxes for customers. The company will turn its New York City flagship store into a permanent drop-off site, while stores in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, DC will be closed.

Rent the Runway plans to continue to grow its network of drop box locations. The company has partnered We Work, Nordstrom and West Elm so far. In March, it laid off all retail staff to reassess business model. Costs were cut by 51 per cent at the onset of the pandemic. And it rewrote the terms with its suppliers to pivot to a revenue-sharing consignment model, away from a wholesale model that required additional capital upfront, without a guaranteed payback.

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) has formed a coalition to fight counterfeit goods on online platforms such as Amazon.com Inc. The coalition, called ‘The Buy Safe America Coalition’, will back legislation that would require digital marketplaces to verify information about third-party merchants on their platform, RILA said.

The lobbying push comes at a time when Amazon has been under scrutiny from lawmakers and the White House over sale of counterfeit items. In addition to RILA, the Toy Association, American Apparel & Footwear Association, the Fashion Jewelry and Accessories Trade Association and other industry groups are also joining the coalition.

RILA is the US trade association for leading retailers. The association partners with leading retailers to meet the challenges of a dynamic economy. Through collaboration and thought leadership, we advance ideas that foster free markets, competition, economic growth, and sustainability.

The Union Ministry of Textiles, plans to set up a testing lab for PPE coveralls in Ludhiana, Punjab. The lab will conduct critical blood penetration test along with other required tests for PPE coveralls. The lab will be set up in the textile committee office of Ludhiana for which MoT, India has supplied machinery to the committee in order to conduct tests like blood penetration and bursting strength.

This lab has come as a huge relief for PPE manufacturers and the manufacturers of technical textiles as, until now, they have sent product samples to far off places like Coimbatore for testing. Sibin C, Director -Industries and Commerce, Punjab informed that COVID-19 has made the state government push Ludhiana textile manufacturers to develop PPE kits in-house. Around 141 manufacturers have already got their products approved with the help of Centre and State Governments, but many new as well as established units still wait for approval.

The audit and calibration of supplied machinery will be conducted by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).

For its Fall/Winter 2020 collection, Guess introduced Michele Morrone as the new brand ambassador for mens’ collection Morrone is an international actor and singer best known for his lead role in the successful Netflix film 365 Days, one of the most popular movies in Netflix history that is currently streaming in over 200 countries.

Created by Paul Marciano, Chief Executive Officer, Guess, the holiday advertising campaign was shot by fashion photographer Nima Benati at Villa Erba in Lake Como, Italy. The campaign marks the launch of the new Guess’s men’s collection, reflecting its new focus on elevated, classic, and high-quality styles which is perfectly in-line with Michele Morrone’s personality, says Marciano.

These images will be featured in upcoming issues of top international fashion and lifestyle magazines and in all its retail stores.

A team of the biggest US mall owner, Simon Property Group, and apparel licensing firm Authentic Brands Group (ABG) has been chosen by a bankruptcy court as the winning bidder to acquire denim brand Lucky for $140.1 million. The two — in a venture known as Sparc —are set to assume the role of core licensee and operating partner for Lucky, overseeing all sourcing, product design and development, running all of the retailer’s stores in North America, and its e-commerce business.

Lucky has more than 175 stores in North America, and its merchandise is also often found in department stores like Macy’s. The clothing brand filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in early July, falling victim to the pain that has been inflicted upon the retail industry during the coronavirus pandemic.

ABG, which acquired a number of retailers over the years including Barneys New York and Nine West, will own Lucky’s intellectual property and oversee all licensing partnerships, new business and brand development. The acquisition will boost ABG’s portfolio to over $13 billion in global retail sales annually.

Apparel retail sales in Japan has gone down by 40 per cent in the first half of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019,says recent data by Japan Department Stores Association (JDSA). The decline has been noted both in the first quarter from January-March of 2020 as well as in the COVID-19 hit quarter April-June. A monthly surge can be seen from mid-May onwards, as the state of emergency was lifted in stages in the entire country from May 14, 2020 before being ending fully on May 25, 2020.

As a result, growth in June ’20 over May ’20 was overwhelming, which signals a significant number of shoppers have come out to purchase apparels post-pandemic. The yearly decline shows lingering fears of infections in the country amongst majority of fashion shoppers. Monthly surge of 217 per cent was massive in June ’20 over May ’20 which is a clear indication that rebounding of apparel market post-outbreak has started. In COVID-19 affected quarter from April-June ’20, Japanese apparel sales revenues declined 66.81 per cent to $1.27 billion. Sales in January-March ’20 quarter declined 22.30 per cent to $3.28 billion from the same period of 2019.

Revenues earned from women’s wear in Q2 ’20 was valued at $ 817.24 million, a decline of 66.42 per cent from Q2 ’19 and 60.14 per cent from the preceding quarter of 2020 when it accommodated $2.05 billion. Menswear clocked in $290.40 revenues in COVID-19 hit quarter April-June ’20, while January-March ’20 could collect $709.25 million from its sales.

June ’20, sales in kidswear fell 7.40 per cent over June ’19. However, a monthly surge of 49.66 per cent was recorded in kidswear sales in June ’20 over May ’20.

Americans have increased their retail purchases by 1.2 per cent in July, with gains in appliances and clothing boosting sales to pre pandemic levels. Sales at retail stores and restaurants have now risen for three straight months, after plunges in March and April, when the pandemic shuttered businesses and paralyzed the economy.

Still, much of the spending was fueled by government aid that had put more money in people's pockets but has since expired. With Americans' income now likely shrinking, economists expect a drop in spending and a potential weakening of growth. Economists forecast growth rebounding in the July-September quarter at roughly 20 per cent annual rate, though that pace would still leave the economy far below pre-pandemic levels.

The government's figures mask a huge shakeout in the retail industry, with Americans pulling sharply back on in-person shopping and spending more online. More than 40 retailers have filed for bankruptcy protection this year, about half of them since the pandemic. That's about double the number for all of 2019.

Many retailers had been ailing before the pandemic. But analysts envision another wave of retail bankruptcies in coming months that would include some companies that were financially healthy before the virus struck. In recent weeks, Ann Taylor's parent company declared bankruptcy. So did the Lord & Taylor department store chain and the discount store chain Stein Mart, which had been in business for 112 years.