Fashion Trade Shows – Is there an alternative?

In the fashion industry, trade shows have always been a staple of the fashion calendar. A place for brands and buyers to meet, showcase their wares, restock for the new season, investigate new trends and keep up to date with industry news.

But recently, things have been changing. It’s no secret that the retail sector has been struggling in the current economic climate, and the fashion industry has felt the pinch as budgets have been cut, stock is reduced and prices are compared throughout the market. 

As both brands and retailers look at where they can cut costs, the investment involved in attending trade fairs can hit limited budgets hard. Exhibiting brands need to factor in large up-front costs such as booth rental, product samples, merchandising items, staff time, travel and accommodation; while buyers often have to consider both travel costs and minimum order requirements when planning their budget. This kind of up-front outlay can be daunting, particularly as the return on investment is not always guaranteed. 

Another factor to consider is the carbon footprint generated by both national and international travel - as brands and retailers strive to be more environmentally conscious and the buzzword on everybody in the industry’s lips is “sustainability” – is the regular travel to and from trade shows justified in the current climate?

But what is the alternative? The major benefit of attending trade shows is to access a huge number of new brands or potential customers in one location. Until now, the only other alternative was for fashion buyers to laboriously search internet listings and trade magazines to research brands one by one, while fashion brands and designers would have to rely on costly online SEO and PPC marketing in order to try and attract new clients to their website. 

This is the gap in the market that TradeGala aims to fill. A single website dedicated to showcasing a wide array of fashion brands both large and small, allowing fashion buyers to browse new brands, new trends and new products in just a few clicks, from the comfort of their office, shop or home. Registered brands have access to thousands of retailers and buyers from all sectors of the industry, targeted marketing, and centralised customer service, all with no up-front costs to worry about. 

TradeGala is connecting brands and buyers throughout the world but without the need for international travel. International shipments are also greatly reduced, as brands need only send pre-purchased items directly to the buyer. 

Thanks to the advent of new technologies, we can now organise much of our lives online. With TradeGala, fashion suppliers and buyers now have a simple, user-friendly solution allowing them to optimise their business planning and move forward in the digital world. The fashion industry is changing. TradeGala is helping businesses to change with it.

Written by: Amber Domenech Patey