The Impact of visual fashion communication methods on the consumer

Abstract

The fashion visual communication methods play an important role in identifying the customers’ opinions and response towards clothes and fashion, as the visual communication methods send a quick and short message to the targeted customers and inform those customers with the new trends and models in order to stimulate their response. This research sheds the light on the fact that displaying fashion products and communicating with the customers in Egypt are limited and do not cope with the scientific and technological development of the displaying field, thus this research stresses on the importance of using the best methods of technology and communication as they can affect positively the customers’ decision in Egypt. The importance of this research lies in its attempt to make use of the different types of communication methods to reach the customers in Egypt raising the fashion products sales levels. The research’s subject was handled through following a descriptive method by learning ways of visual communication methods of fashion, this can be done through displaying products: inside the stores, in the outside display windows, the virtual fitting rooms, interactive windows, fashion magazines, fashion catalogues, conventional and hologram fashion shows, the fashion companies’ websites, and the brands’ social network pages aiming at showing the fashion products and connecting with the customer. The research states these ways and its varieties, whilesetting some examples attached to them surveys presented to the customers as well as the companies owners, this to priorities the products to be displayed and the best and easiest ways to communicate with the customers, as well as stating the importance of the visual communication methods of marketing fashion designs in Egypt. The results of the questionnaire conducted about the best visual means of fashion communication to consumers and companies owners are as follow; the consumer's first priority is the commercial shop where he uses all his senses; he sees and touches and even smells the product. Company owners point out that consumers, especially the youth, prefer technological advancements such as interactive screens, virtual fitting rooms, interactive mirrors, and holographic fashion shows, These are not commonly available in Egypt because of high cost. The youth themselves prefer adventure games, and brands' website. Word of the mouth and virtual fitting rooms are what companies owners prefer most due to the great influence expected on a consumer's decision. Information technology facilitates the availability of several interaction and communication systems. Use and manipulating of information technology increases awareness and provide knowledge on different designs of brands and their designers. Consequently, this broadens the range of a consumer's vision and choices, means it isn't deployable. Moreover, this creates a need within a consumer to increase his interaction and consumption. Interactivity represents a transition from the conventional idea of communication as an element to the concept of event in which the values given to behavior, dynamic action, offered services, environment or surroundings become more significant. Fashion visual communication through interactive methods aims at probing users' reactions and desires, and making them an integral part of products designing program. The researcher comes to a conclusion that the positive impact of various means of visual communication on marketing fashion designs in the Arab Republic of Egypt can be summed up in pleasing consumers, and making them have a great desire during browsing and trying clothes on. This is what increases consumers' joy, and affects their purchasing decisions, and consequently sales will increase, and consumers will receive the message in more than one way. Moreover, diversity and difference of visual means of fashion communication, especially the technological ones, raises a consumer's awareness of the brand, highlight its appearance in his mind, and increases his loyalty toward it, and this raises, of course, the value of the brand.