Wemanage Journal: dataFORMAT_04 — Brand e Marketing Analysis

Here we are with the fourth episode of dataFORMAT, the monthly column in which, thanks to the data provided by Fashion in Process Research Lab (FiP) of the Politecnico di Milano, we analyze the new trends and new opportunities that may affect the world of fashion and luxury.

This month the analyzed statistics outline a panorama of opportunities that new technologies can offer to brands, with benefits both from a commercial and image point of view. Worlds still little explored, but which are beginning to become markets with a promising future. Such as the world of NFTs, which in 2021 counted 360k owners: a number destined to grow rapidly in the coming years, given that many brands are experimenting with new forms of customer engagement with the collaboration of digital artists and content creators. This is a new sector in which you can apply various marketing strategies, thanks to influencers and exclusive collections, bringing the bond between brands and customers to a new level. But the digital reality market will not stop there, given that the new true frontier will soon become the augmented reality market: according to the data collected, in fact, around a third of TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram users in the U.S. and UK say Augmented Reality is helpful for trying on products. To exploit its full potential, however, it is necessary to act wisely: consumers are impressed by companies using AR to enhance the shopping experience and provide information on products, but they don’t like it to be used to augment promotional content on social networks . Transparency seems to be a very important factor for younger generations, as nine out of ten online focus group participants said they often or sometimes need more information about products before making a purchase. Answering customers’ demands for information on products and firm practices is a way to show transparency, which builds credibility. This, therefore, requires efforts to increase the levels of interaction and response, but it will definitely be worth it.

A sector that is not new, but a solid reality with many surprises yet to be reserved, is that of gaming: with more than 2.7 billion players around the world. A young audience interested in novelties, which very much attracts luxury brands, because they are already used to considering the purchase of digital assets.

Let’s move on to a platform that is proving much more interesting than we might have thought in the past: Discord. Its usage has grown by 19% compared to 2020. After becoming famous for being used for sneakers’ reselling, Discord has today more than 150 million monthly active users and recently turned down Microsoft’s $ 10 billion takeover offer. is a highly customizable space, where it is possible to create communities around specific interests in full privacy and freedom, through which users can talk to friends or strangers in real-time via voice, text or video chat. In other words, a great opportunity for all those who will be ready and will know how to exploit it.

Finally, we close with a trend that is confirmed as stable and reliable: that of creating video content. Today, two million of the estimated fifty million creators on YouTube, Instagram, and Twitch now make six-figure incomes from revenue models such as advertising, paid subscriptions, merchandise, and live or virtual events. Short videos are typically associated with Gen Z, but the gap between short and long content is getting shorter. This is explained by younger consumers’ interest in how-to videos and vlogs. One in four consumers watches a video made by a brand each month.

This month, for the analysis and framing of new trends, we collaborated with Gola Associati: a group of visual designers and creative technologists interested in exploring the relationship between the concept of authorship and artificial intelligence in the fields of creativity. Maison Gola is their project, and its purpose is to investigate the mechanisms of collectability in the world of fashion.

See you next month!