Today, many leading clothing and fashion retailers are finding new ways to offer quality brand products to consumers through online stores. The retail landscape, in fact, is changing with more and more people using their smartphones and tablets to search for products and make purchases.

A study from eDigitalResearch and Portaltech confirms this fact and discovered a “continuing shift in consumer behavior as more and more shoppers [50 percent of smartphone owners] are adapting to new technologies, browsing, shopping and interacting with brands on the move.”

Social and mobile shopping is adding a new facet to the online experience (through apps and Web presence). More and more retailers are engaging the online shopping community to reach out proactively to new potential customers rather than waiting for them to discover their brand.

Retailers can gain an edge with customers by bringing personalized sale offers and recommending relevant products to consumers browsing their websites and providing services (specific apps, for example) to ease viewers’ transition  from mere browsers to buyers.

It’s especially important in the fast-moving fashion world to be able to quickly show potential customers any new products available. Digital showrooms and online magazines can help do just that, as they can be updated in real time and allow for easy access by viewers that can browse at leisure wherever they are.

Online publication of information is also cost effective for retailers that, at the same time, can increase revenues by offering a way for customers to access content without effort. A number of services can be also included, from digital showrooms to interactive elements, to the possibility of creating a more personalized shopping experience for each customer.

A company that has focused on brand visibility across every digital channel is Matalan, a renowned U.K. clothing and homeware retailer offering budget-conscious fashion and home décor products. The retailer offers a website that caters to mobile commerce shoppers and has recently adopted the Zmags Publicator platform to improve its online offer and increase customer engagement.

A recent post from the Digital Journal website explains that Matalan is focusing on digital marketing optimization to “create a more immersive experience for customers, resulting in more time spent engaging with the content and ultimately more revenue.”

The post suggests that many online retailers would benefit from digital marketing, because the shopping behavior of consumers (who are now more empowered) is changing rapidly; in the U.K., for example, at least one in five consumers buy more online than in-store, for their attire and home décor needs. 

Matalan is an early adopter of Zmags Creator platform, a next-generation product that will be released in September, to create a better online experience by improving pages through animations and embedded rich media. Matalan has selected Zmags Publicator platform for several key areas of its website, including HTML5-optimized look books in its "Life & Style" section.

Zmags’ Publicator platform enables Matalan to provide customers with up-to-date content as it makes quick and easy the uploading of new PDFs and the conversion of content to HTML5, literally at the push of a button. Real time updates are essential for an online customer base that is interested in seeing contemporary fashion collections.

With the retail landscape changing rapidly, it is important that companies adapt quickly to new trends and embrace the available technology to seize opportunities available now thanks to the mobile boom.