The influence of technology on fashion buying and merchandising

The vast amount of change that has occurred in the fashion buying and merchandising roles over the last few decades is all due to the rapid development of new technologies. Technology has proven to be an indispensable tool in making the process of design creation, development, and management more agile. This chapter outlines the key digital advances that have influenced fashion buying and merchandising this century. The development of new technologies has had a huge influence on the fashion ­industry throughout its history, from the development of looms to the move towards electronic till systems. The streaming of the fashion-week shows on social media has made them more accessible to consumers, thus creating further ­challenges for buyers. 3D printing is used in the fashion industry by numerous fashion retailers and designers for prototypes, customised made-to-order products, and artistic pieces. In fashion, AI has the ability to help brands and retailers with predictive forecasting, capacity planning, and merchandising.