Sell the Vision of Looking Good, and not Apparel

From Helen of Troy, the paragon of feminine perfection to the sizzling Angelina Jolie and from Adonis, the best example of male beauty to the irresistible Mel Gibson, the world has always valued beauty. If that wasn’t the case, fashion would have been an obsolete term.

In today’s world, the drive towards visual perfection is even more pronounced. Players in the fashion and apparel industry need to cash in on the phrase “the vision of looking good”, if they want to succeed. It is the only way retailers can bring shoppers to their marketplace – real or virtual.

So, the question is how can retailers articulate this vision?


Don’t try to sell the product, try to sell its features. Most online apparel merchants post an image of the product they are selling and leave it at that. There is absolutely no content describing the make, color, fabric or detailing that forms the final product.

When you are selling apparel, it is very important that you consider some of these points:

Who should you address this content to?

Are you selling it to men, women or youth? If you are selling apparel for women, the tone should be persuasive, when you are aiming for a male audience the tone should be convincing, and you should be engaging if you need to capture the attention of the youth. More often than not, women dress to impress, while men are more concerned about fit than style. So when writing for women, phrases like ‘make heads turn’, draw envious glances, “belle of the ball” and so on work. Men shop for a good fit, comfort and style, precisely in that order. Audience is everything!

Fabric

Fabric plays a vital role in apparel. It is always good to explain the salient features of the fabric - whether it is wrinkle resistant, stretchable, comfy or more especially if you are writing for men’s clothing. You can then talk about its purpose. How the fabric can drape around you for a flattering silhouette or how it is breathable and ideal for a performance lifestyle? Give your insights – say if a dress is designed from heavier fabrics, the description can emphasize on how it flatters full figured women or if it is made from clingy fabric, the content can mention that it accentuates the shape. Weave these details into the content!

Where to?

It is very important that you tell your shoppers as to which style is good for which occasion. Give them suggestions on how to dress up or dress down a particular outfit. For instance – pair a lace trim cami with a short black skirt for a night out on the town or pair it with shorts for a day at the beach. Perfect pick for the perfect place!!

Sizes and styles:

Talk about the different sizes in which the apparel is available, also talk about the style.

Do not just say that you sell tees, be more specific – For instance, cowl-neck tees, graphic tees, short-sleeve tees. Elaborate on how styles contribute towards giving you the desired look. For instance – if you are selling a-line skirts, you can say how these A-line silhouettes suit tall women or if you are promoting men’s straight-cut pants, the content should talk about how they give an illusion of slimmer physique. Size matters and so do style, so big it up!!

There is one hitch though. When you are writing product description, the scope for elaborating on the content is less. Don’t fret. Conquer the blogging space. Come back to read more on blogging strategy.

Image Source: http://www.polyvore.com