Macy’s tops among apparel retailers in ‘digital maturity’

The more digitally mature the retailer, the lower the impact on overall sales during the pandemic.

The digital maturity of apparel retailers is higher than retail overall, and the top 25% of the most digitally mature retailers were able to better react to the disruptions of COVID-19 and somewhat lessen the impact from the shutdown, according to Incisiv’s first annual Apparel Ditital Maturity Benchmark report, sponsored by Fluent Commerce and Bridge Solutions Group. Overall, the top quartile of apparel retailers suffered a 25% decline in sales compared to a 46% decline in the bottom quartile.

Macy’s topped the inaugural rankings, followed by Kohl’s and Neiman Marcus. The study also found a strong correlation between digital maturity and the percentage of sales driven by digital channels. In 2019, the top 25% of digitally mature retailers saw a 22% increase in digital sales, with the number set to increase by 10 times or more in 2020.

Based on performance analysis over four stages of the customer journey – product discovery, ordering, fulfillment options, and customer support – the top 10 leading North American cross-format apparel retailers in the 2020 Apparel Digital Maturity Benchmark are:

  1. Macy’s
  2. Kohl’s
  3. Neiman Marcus
  4. Target
  5. Nordstrom
  6. Ann Taylor
  7. Chico’s
  8. J.C. Penney Co.
  9. Walmart
  10. Ralph Lauren

“The apparel segment was one of the early adopters of digital technologies and has continued to be a leader in setting expectations for what digital experience should be for customers,” said Amar Mokha, chief operating officer, Incisiv. “However, expectations have been reset yet again and digital platforms will, in many cases, decide if some apparel retailers have a future. New functionalities in areas such as inventory visibility, AR/VR, fulfillment, seamless social media integration and more will make the difference with customers today.”

Click here to download the complete study. Incisiv and the sponsors of the 2020 Apparel Digital Maturity Benchmark – Fluent Commerce and Bridge Solutions Group – will host a webinar on Oct. 15 to discuss the findings of the study. Click here to register.

The 2020 Apparel Digital Maturity Benchmark is an executive summary report based on Incisiv’s analysis of the digital presence of 100 cross-format apparel and footwear retailers in the U.S. and Europe.

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