The fashion industry has embraced online shopping. But one group has held back from jumping headlong into ecommerce: the denim industry. Think about it: have you ever bought a pair of jeans online? We certainly haven't. But all that may be about to change.
While hip brands such as Cheap Monday, Notify and Current Elliott still don't have their own e-shops, the perception that it's tough to sell denim online seems to be losing steam. Web sales accounted for 4.5 percent of jeans sold in France in 2008, according to the Institut Francais de la Mode. Though that's low, it's higher than the 2.8 percent that were purchased in department stores. Most French consumers buy jeans in specialty stores and chains like Etam, Zara or H&M.
The biggest challenge to selling denim online remains fit, said Sucharita Mulpuru, principal analyst of eBusiness at Forrester and a former Saks Fifth Avenue executive.
"It's hard to acquire new customers because of the complexities around fit," she said.
"Companies like Zafu have tools to help people find the right pair and brand of jeans online." Zafu is a fit recommendation site for jeans.
Shoppers at Guess' European online megastore, which drew 40,000 registered users in its first month after going live in France and Italy in May, can narrow their searches by criteria, including waist, wash, fit and leg length, said Michael Scatigna, Web business manager at Guess Europe. While he wouldn't disclose targets for the European business, e-commerce sales in the U.S. and Canada jumped 38 percent last year.
Brands also are looking to online sales as the ideal platform for capitalizing on editorial coverage. Le Temps de Cerises said it wants to give those surfing its site the ability to buy products seen in the press, eliminating the time delay between the offer in store and the products presented in fashion stories in magazines.
"We offer the possibility to buy a product that appears in top fashion magazines in a few clicks of a button," added Scatigna.
The unveiling of My Lovely Jeans' e-shop coincided with an editorial in French Vogue. "Because of Vogue, we had an instant phenomenon about our sales online," said Pariente.
Once a customer finds a brand that fits her, it's easier to convince her to buy a second pair of jeans online -- assuming that the company does not change the cut of the jeans in question. But convincing women to buy a new pair of jeans online from a brand she's never worn is still going to be a tough sell.
