The past year resulted in a rapid-fire switch to remote work and digital transactions for many industries, especially fashion and retail. Now with many regions starting to reopen and return to in-person work and travel, companies are asking themselves what the return to normal should look like. 

This past year has been one of constant change - with brands and retailers forging new paths and re-evaluating traditional timelines. Based on this, we did a quick check-in with our clients to see how the industry is preparing for summer market. Here is how JOOR brands and buyers are approaching this season.

JOOR’s new Custom Profile capabilities allow brands to express themselves like never before on a wholesale platform. With numerous row templates and widgets that allow for creative use of text, images, videos, documents, or product insertions, brands have the freedom to craft their profile page as they see fit. The ease of making edits or even complete redesigns lends itself to frequent refreshing. With this exciting feature, you can now proudly showcase your brand’s aesthetics to current and potential buyers by transforming your profile into your very own storefront.

Amidst the many challenges of the past year, our industry demonstrated its flexibility and fortitude - rapidly adjusting ways of doing business and cramming a decade’s worth of digital progress into a matter of months. Set against this landscape, JOOR remained unwaveringly dedicated to listening to the needs of our clients, assisting them in their digital transformation, and developing innovative solutions to drive the industry forward.

One of the most preeminent conversations happening amongst SMB’s in today’s digital age is how and when to bring their wholesale business online. In our recent webinar, fashion business consultant Lisa Metcalfe described the essential role technology plays in successful decision-making from emerging to established businesses. Follow this guide below to evaluate whether your business is on the right track to fully digitizing with virtual selling technology.

Historically, Payments processing has comprised one of the greatest points of friction across the wholesale lifecycle. Inefficiencies , high costs, lost revenue, and the potential for fraud characterized the pre-pandemic version of this fraught but necessary step.

For better or worse, lockdown got us used to certain things. Working from home. Streaming opening night movies in fuzzy slippers. And doing absolutely everything conveniently, seamlessly, and most excellently online. And you know us humans: once we get used to something--especially if it makes our lives better, more comfortable, easier, or less expensive in any way--we’re not ones to give it up.  

Our Retail 2.0 platform keeps getting better. The new assortment planning experience couples excel-like capabilities with strong visualization tools, enabling buyers to merchandise their buys before finalizing their orders. To facilitate information sharing and collaboration, assortments can be shared between team members or even with brands with comments and questions.

In the past year, the fashion industry has proven its resilience and also acknowledged the importance of sustainability as critical to our future.

In her recent webinar, ‘Driving Growth In A Changing Wholesale Market,’ preeminent fashion business consultant Lisa Metcalfe advised brands how to strategize smart post-COVID. Her central message? Thoughtful and measured scaling of operations, based on careful cost-benefit analysis, will carry companies forward in this volatile environment--safely, steadily, and while minimizing risk.