How Fashion Data is revolutionizing trend predictions with consumer insights
In today's competitive fashion industry, data has become a crucial element for success. Once considered a "nice to have," data is now indispensable for fashion brands looking to thrive. The ability to predict trends, understand consumer behavior, and develop data-driven strategies is essential to staying ahead. Here, we explore the role of fashion data, its significance, and how Heuritech's unique approach can help brands predict trends with customer insights.
What is fashion data?
Fashion data encompasses a wide array of information collected from various sources within the fashion industry. This data includes customer preferences, purchasing behaviors, sales figures, market trends, social media interactions, and more.
By analyzing fashion data, brands can gain insights into what products are popular, which trends are emerging, and how consumer preferences are evolving. This information is gathered from online and in-store sales, social media platforms, CRM systems, and other digital and physical touchpoints.
Fashion data is crucial for making informed decisions about product development, marketing strategies, inventory management, and overall business operations, helping brands stay competitive and relevant in a fast-paced industry.
The role of data in the fashion industry
Fashion brands are increasingly relying on data to enhance their business strategies. From market analysis to sales forecasting, data provides invaluable insights that help companies make informed decisions. Major companies in the fashion industry, such as luxury brands and fast-fashion retailers, are leveraging data to optimize their strategies and improve their market position.
Analytics play a crucial role in interpreting fashion data. Through advanced data analytics, brands can uncover patterns and trends that drive consumer behavior. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning further enhance these capabilities, enabling more accurate predictions and deeper insights.
Heuritech’s unique approach to fashion data
Heuritech stands out with its cutting-edge technology for trend forecasting. By leveraging advanced AI and machine learning algorithms, Heuritech can analyze large-scale consumer data thanks to the largest dataset on fashion to predict trends accurately. This technology helps brands anticipate shifts in consumer preferences and adapt their strategies accordingly.
Where does Heuritech collect data from?
To feed Market Insights, we currently collect data from two social media platforms: Instagram and Weibo (for China only). We built our own scraping tools to break through the noise of social media all over the world. Our database of about 500 million posts continues growing, providing our team of experts and users of our platform with endless data to be transformed into actionable insights. Heuritech data is refreshed on a monthly basis, at the beginning of each month.
Heuritech's approach includes using extensive consumer panels to gather insights at scale. This method allows for a comprehensive understanding of consumer behavior and market trends. To understand the various data we can provide, you can explore our 2025 top trends or our latest market reports.
Through case studies, Heuritech has demonstrated how its solutions have helped brands predict trends, optimize product lines, and improve overall business performance.
How do we select accounts to include in our panels?
We built our panels like a professional survey institute whose primary objective is to build a sample as representative as possible of a country's population, from mainstream individuals to the most edgy ones.
To do so, we developed a robust methodology to select people randomly on social media. Therefore, we do not insert any bias towards a specific brand or consumer target.
Zoom on a data analytics use case at Heuritech
A fashion data analyst collects and analyzes data related to consumer trends, sales, and market research in the fashion industry to provide insights and recommendations for informed decision-making.
Their goals?
- help fashion businesses understand customer preferences
- optimize inventory
- refine marketing strategies
Who is our client and which teams use Heuritech?
- Our client is a worldwide Asian manufacturer and retailer that prides themselves on innovation and being ahead of the curve
- The company has a high level of data maturity
- The teams that are the users of Heuritech’s solution are data analysts and data scientists
Why did our client need Heuritech?
- They wanted to have visibility of the future market demands
- They wanted to have access to data that was representative of a mass-market beyond their client base
- Client was building an internal tool to consolidate as many data points as possible to help feed internal strategies
- Their scope was the API Data Integration of our solution
What were their existing rituals?
The data teams were already consolidating data points to help feed internal strategies.
Insight provided by data teams was often used alongside intuition of designers and merchandisers and at times not leveraged enough.
Data analytics teams had a hard time sometimes “convincing” other team units of the power of data because it is often based on past behavior - no foresight.
What are their new rituals?
Our client seeked to develop their own forecasting tool using internal and external data.
Heuritech serves as a unique data point to feed their forecasting methodology.
Having Heuritech’s third-party perspective and 360 market view intersect with internal past data, creates a powerful tool that covers all bases.
Why was it a successful use case?
The Right Users
Users were equipped to deal with data
They were already trained as “data translators”
Easy Implementation
The API integration allowed for Heuritech’s data to easily be implemented within their personalized need
Client-centric approach
Client needed to have access to data that was specific to their market as well as a unique time-frame
Heuritech managed to successfully deliver.
The impact of fashion data on business strategies
Data has revolutionized business strategies in the fashion industry. Sales and marketing strategies are now heavily influenced by data insights. For example, data helps brands optimize inventory levels and supply chains, ensuring that popular products are always in stock and increasing their sell-through rates. Additionally, personalized customer experiences and improved conversion rates are achieved through data-driven marketing.
A compelling case study from BOF highlights how artificial intelligence can be a powerful business tool when paired with the right data. Brands face new challenges as tech giants implement digital privacy measures, making it crucial for them to have their own data on customers. One-third of nearly 10,000 business leaders surveyed by Salesforce in 2023 admitted they couldn't generate insights from all their data, underscoring the complexity of managing and interpreting customer data.
For instance, Tapestry, the parent company of Coach, Kate Spade, and Stuart Weitzman, placed a strong emphasis on understanding their customers through immersive research, including surveys, in-person interviews, and even shopping trips. This customer-centric approach has been credited with attracting new shoppers, particularly Gen-Z, and fueling the success of products like the Tabby handbag. In February 2024, Tapestry reported 6 percent growth at Coach and acquired approximately 2.5 million new customers in North America, with half of these being Gen-Z and Millennials.
However, data alone doesn't solve all problems. Despite Tapestry's successes with Coach, sales at Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman declined in 2023. The company's strategy of deeply understanding customer preferences remains fundamental, as emphasized by their chief executive, who noted significant improvements in applying customer insights across the value chain over the past four years. This case study illustrates that the true value of data lies in its application, providing crucial lessons on how to leverage data effectively in the fashion industry.
The future of fashion data
The evolution of fashion data will continue to shape the industry in the coming years. Innovations in data analysis and trend forecasting will provide even more accurate and actionable insights. At Heuritech, a major step will be the release of a 24 months forecast compared to the current 12-months forecast. As the fashion industry becomes increasingly data-driven, brands that embrace these technologies will have a significant competitive advantage.
Emerging technologies and data providers will play a pivotal role in this evolution. Companies offering advanced data solutions will contribute to the ongoing transformation of the fashion industry. By staying informed and adopting new data strategies, fashion brands can ensure long-term success in a rapidly changing market.
Fashion data is a vital component for brands looking to thrive in today's competitive landscape. Data enables companies to identify global trends and adapt to consumer preferences across different markets. Heuritech's unique approach to trend forecasting offers brands the tools they need to stay ahead of the curve. By embracing fashion data and leveraging advanced analytics, fashion companies can enhance their strategies and achieve sustained growth.
For brands interested in exploring Heuritech's solutions, you can ask for a demo. Staying informed about the latest trends and innovations through market reports and insights will also help brands maintain their competitive edge.
