Communication

Traditionally

- personal physical contact

between buyer and seller or producer and
consumer.
Developed into written communication that
is business correspondence using the postal
system.
Advent of the telephone voice
communication.
Major

problems - Time involved and that the

phone required the caller and receiver to be
available.
- Confidentiality was lost.
- Information

Advent of the internet has broadened

the horizons of communication.
Person in any corner of the world has
instant access.

E-Commerce
A

business is conducted with minimum or

no use of paper and is termed electronic or
E-commerce.
Paper-less trade is called e-commerce.
Modern electronic communication method.
Transactions are conducted without paper
that is electronically.
Information requires.
Considers the changes to business
structure and practice.
It comprises of sales, promotion and
support of products.
Considerable growth in the last five years.

Classifications
Classified

on the basis of
technology as:
Front-end and
Back-end e-businesses.

Classification

is based on the

parties:
1.B2C (business-to-consumer),
2.B2B (business-to-business) and
3.C2C (customer-to-customer).

E-Commerce in apparel
industry
Exemplary

concept in the future of

textile and apparel industry.
Major role in the present scenario of
textile and apparel industry.
Information and communication
technologies (ICTs).
Support electronic trading.
Extravagant amounts of information
available to users
Facilitate rapid communication

Draping

models used on the Internet

Incorporated in internet websites for
virtual shopping.
Create their own model by submitting
their body measurements and appearance
details.
Users can also rotate the model to view
the outfit from different sides.

E-business in apparel retail

industry
Apparel

industry has traditionally been

slow to adopt new business practices.
Become the third-largest retail sales
category on the Internet.
Forrester Research - online sales of
apparel to reach $20.2 billion in 2003.
New technologies, such as 3dimensional browsing and virtual
fitting rooms.
Seeing the physical product and
making the purchase decision easier
for the consumers.

Traditionally

- apparel retail industry was

defined - purchased brand labels from
manufacturers and then sold those brand labels
to consumers.
Rapid globalization - apparel retail industry who
are creating brands.
Creation of the World Wide Web is another
factor - increased the globalization of the retail
industry.
Major retailers such as Wal-Mart, Nordstrom, JC
Penney (USA) and Marks and Spencers (UK)

Scope of E-commerce in
apparel sector

Improve

the efficiency and effectiveness of

marketing.
Provide customers access to information
about products and their availability.
Build brand value.
Offer customers a convenient medium to
make purchases online.
Competitive pricing.
One-source shopping.
Convenience and time-savings.
Increasing brand loyalty among consumers.

Advantages to the customer

Shopping

is done from convenience of

home or work.
Comparative shopping is possible
without having to visit different stores.
Lower prices - usually prices on the
internet are lower than those at the
stores
24 hour shopping without hassle of
crowds, driving, parking, etc.
Varied payment plans such as credit
card, charge card, debit from bank
account etc.

Advantages to retailer
24 hour shopping - Customers can view
products any time they want.
Worldwide market - Customers can view
products from all over the world.
Higher profits due to reduction in retailing
space, inventory costs, etc. The retailer can
also offer lower prices increasing sales volume.
Sales tracking - High volume items are
readily traced and buyer profits can be
established. Both can be used to design future
products.
Quick response -Market demands are quickly
identified and reacted. New products can be
easily introduced.