Founded in 2008, Zalando has since become one of Europe’s fashion giants, catering to a multitude of customer profiles. The retailer is active in 17 different European markets with more than 3500 brands in their online store, and they take care to adapt to their many customers’ different cultures, demands, and desires. Moving forward, Zalando affirms their thirst for innovation and sustainability, stating “We are convinced that this commitment will pay off for us all in the long run.”
With this in mind, Heuritech’s fashion and data experts have looked into Zalando’s e-commerce site to review their Spring product assortment. We’ve picked core trends from the current assortment and compared them with our data to gauge demand for the Spring 2022 season for women in Europe.
Marrying technology and innovation for a better Spring 2022 collection
But what does it mean when we say we’ve compared Zalando’s trends with our data? It means that we’ve placed our trend forecasts alongside Zalando’s current trends to determine which trends will be most and least successful come Spring. Heuritech’s experts applied insights drawn by our AI-based trend forecasting technology to predict the ideal Spring 2022 collection for Zalando.
In particular, this article focuses on European trends that can be applied to different age groups and consumer segments. Zalando is already able to offer a wide range of choices to consumers of all genders, ages, and backgrounds, so our goal is not to suggest more product categories.
Our goal is rather to provide insight into the trends that make up their current product assortment.
Understanding how trends behave, by whom they’re adopted and their optimal launch period is an enormous asset to guide buying decisions, maximize revenue, and avoid overstock.
1. Cardigans
Cardigans are cool now, as evidenced by their salience during the Fall/Winter 2021 Fashion Weeks from designers like House of Sunny, Acne Studios, Prada, and more. In Europe specifically, we predict the cardigan to rise by +11% in Spring 2022 compared to last year, and coupled with its massive market demand potential — in other words, its magnitude — the cardigan will be a fashion bet.
When a trend is a fashion bet, this signals to the brand that the trend is a must-have in their collection for the season in question. Indeed, Zalando should note the cardigan’s high seasons of Spring and Winter — the seasons during which demand will be highest — to ensure maximum sell-through. March is the ideal launch month, right at the tail end of Spring when the sun is out but the air remains chilly.
Finally, the cardigan’s consumer segmentation is important, because this clues in Zalando’s design teams on which customer base and aesthetic to cater to. For the cardigan, trendy and edgy female consumers in Europe will be most drawn to the garment in Spring 2022.
2. Flare denim pants
Flare denim pants don’t seem to want to stay in the 70s: this Spring 2022 in Europe, we predict a +2% rise compared to Spring 2021. This growth rate is rather flat, meaning the evolution of the trend’s visibility on social media images won’t change much between Spring ‘21 and ‘22. But when we pair it with flare denim pants’ big magnitude, we get a safe bet status.
What kind of consumer will we see wearing flare denim pants next Spring? Trick question — all of them! The garment’s universal appeal will draw in all three consumer segments in the Spring, so Zalando can adapt their design and marketing strategies accordingly. Finally, with an optimal launch month of March, these pants will experience the highest demand in Spring and into Summer.
3. Bomber jacket
The bomber jacket has been a rollercoaster fad for many years, making appearances and disappearances throughout the seasons. So this Spring 2022, the forecast for bomber jackets is in: its growth rate among European female consumers will drop -7% compared to Spring 2021. Additionally, its medium market demand potential is enough to bring the garment to a safe bet status.
With that said, the bomber jacket will appeal mostly to mainstream consumers, which isn’t surprising given its behavior and reliable presence on the market. Just like flare denim pants, the bomber jacket’s ideal seasons are Spring and Summer, as it’s a perfect layering piece. Zalando would do well to push this garment in March, the month during which demand will be at its peak.
Zalando Spring staples: Trend forecasting for 2022
To summarize, this article compares a few key trends taken from Zalando’s e-commerce platform with our data to provide a glimpse into how they will behave in the European markets for the Spring 2022 season.
- Cardigans will be a fashion bet in this season, with an increase in demand by 11% and their market share growing to 2.9% of different top types. With the optimal launch in March, this product is ideal for the Spring 2022 season and will reach both trendy and edgy customers.
- Flare denim pants have reached a big visibility in market share, making them an ideal choice for all customer segments. Growth in market share and demand is considered flat for Spring 2022, which ranks this style a safe bet.
- The bomber jacket will still be considered a safe bet in Europe, however with an observation of slightly decreasing demand. We recommend to retain this style as part of your assortment as it is in high season in spring, with an optimal launch date in March.
Zalando’s open-armed approach to innovation since their start in 2008 is the ideal mindset for integrating trend forecasting technology into their collection planning process. Furthermore, trend forecasting can bolster Zalando’s emphasis on sustainability by helping to more precisely pinpoint future trends and market demand, and ultimately reduce overstock.
