hoppers in the US can probably think of a few fashion retailers that seem like they’re permanently on sale, their racks packed with clothes that nobody wanted at full price and struggle to move even at a discount. Far from being isolated among a few troubled retailers, the problem has ensnared a large swath of the industry. At a recent presentation in New York, Nivindya Sharma, director of retail strategy and insights for WGSN Analytics—the data division of global trend forecaster WGSN—explained some of the forces that have contributed to this state of affairs. Among them is a fundamental shift in the relationship between supply and demand, spurred by the spread of e-commerce, social media, and the new shopper behavior they’ve encouraged. “These are big, momentous changes,” Sharma said. Read more at Quartz.
