Investigating Digital Marketing Impacts on UK Fashion Retailers

This report investigates the significant impact of digital marketing tools on the cost efficiency and marketing objectives of fashion retailers in the UK. It begins by establishing the changing buyer-seller relationships and the increasing role of digital marketing, referencing seminal literature that highlights the evolution of the fashion industry alongside digital media and the importance of online platforms for consumer acquisition and brand awareness. The report aims to empirically examine the effects of various digital marketing technologies on the financial and marketing goals of UK fashion retailers, assessing the value of digital media instruments, defining key digital marketing platforms, establishing connections between strategies and goals, identifying challenges, and proposing solutions. The literature review defines digital marketing, its effectiveness, and its application within the UK fashion industry, including an analysis of digital marketing in the UK, its benefits, and associated challenges such as cyber security concerns. The report underscores the importance of strategic digital marketing in a rapidly evolving market, emphasizing the need for cost-effective strategies to reach target audiences and maintain brand loyalty, which is crucial in the face of increasing competition and changing consumer behaviors. The report contributes to a better understanding of digital media tools that optimize promotional results and build cost advantages for fashion retailers in the UK.

Investigating Impacts of Digital Marketing Tools On Cost and
Marketing Objectives of Fashion Retailers in The UK
Introduction
As the buyer/seller relationships are continually changing, the role of digital marketing in the UK fashion
retail industry is increasing. Online marketing leads, as a modern form in direct marketing, to online
contact among sellers and buyers.
Background:
Ryding et al. (2016) noticed that the fashion industry was created with the advancement of digital media,
branding and the creative application of technology in accordance with the new developments in design.
Online platforms have been even easier for users as they have convenient exposure to the internet due to
the massive progress carried out by today's society. Fashion is a very small product life cycle business
that is completely based on evolving patterns, as per Blázquez (2014). Until consumers turn to
competitive markets, advertisers will be able to predict and forecast fashion patterns such that the apparel
marketer becomes a trend setter, and digital media is the best area for consumer acquisition and
conversion by means of digital media metrics and optimization, to ensure consumers stay true to them
during the existence.
Seminal Literature:
Sashi (2012) observed that customers are more conscious of goods, brands or businesses, which allow
them to evaluate value for money or purchase costs, with rising internet usage, rising mobile users,
quicker digital contact networks, new apps and better connectivity. The advent of digital marketing,
which has been a crucial method for fashion retailers to establish contact with consumers, to generate
sensibility, to brand awareness and to keep current consumers loyal, has been strongly affected by the
global fashion industry (Blázquez, 2014). Numbers of experts who firmly agreed on the beneficial
benefits of utilizing digital media to accomplish business goals have explored the role of digital
marketing, as noted by Zhang, Dubinsky, & Yong Tan (2011). But there is a lack of significant literature,
as observed by Gaur, Sahu, & Singh (2020), that explicitly ties the digital ads to their effect on the fashion
retailers' cost efficiency in the UK. The apparel industry is one of the fastest evolving sectors in which
patterns tend to evolve every 3-6 months. This makes it particularly necessary for advertisers to adopt a
strategic strategy that not only aims to meet brand goals, but also helps to reduce costs (Du, 2019). In

view of these perspectives, an observational analysis is intended to contribute to better comprehension of
a range of digital media tools that can be critical to optimize the results of promotions and to build cost
advantages for fashion retailers in the UK.
Importance of Research:
The way corporations are managed and conduct a range of corporate functions has drastically improved
systematic technology advancement in the industrial markets through industries. In the world of
marketing, digital marketing has proven to be the strongest path to accomplish brand goals over the past
decade (Rathnayaka, 2018). International companies have become open to consumers through emerging
technology at a simple button. Excessive technology rollout has shifted marketers' emphasis on consumer
and business, as advertisers are often more digitally oriented on targeting target markets than waiting for
consumers to meet them (Du, 2019). The incremental development of digital marketing is seen as an
inflection point in the fashion retail industry with a strong emphasis on interactivity and online content.
The apparel retail industry has been recognized as one of the key industries with its significant
contribution to GDP development in the UK. The usage of new media has been a standard trend of the
manufacturing world in the era of overwhelming technological growth (Ryding et al., 2016).
The research proposal will examine with regard to evaluating empirical data and other non-academic facts
the effect of the digital media technologies on the company priorities (cost & market) of the UK fashion
retail sector.
Aims and Objectives
This work aims to empirically examine the expense and marketing goals of UK fashion retailers in
relation to the effects of digital marketing technologies. The research objectives are given below:
 Assessing the value of digital media instruments to increase corporate ability to meet marketing
goals.
 To define the main styles of fashion retail digital marketing platforms in the UK.
 Establish a connection between digital marketing strategies and fashion retailer cost / marketing
goals.
 To assess challenges for fashion stores in the UK to implement digital marketing strategies.
 Propose approaches that will help solve the problems found.
Importance of these Aims and Objectives:
These aims and objectives are useful in a way that they pave a way to the whole research. On the basis of
these objectives, it would be easier to develop an idea of the entire research.

Conceptual Framework
Literature Review
1. Explain and define digital marketing - what it is, what it consists of, and its effectiveness
Digital Marketing
Digital communication by social media, and more precisely the Internet, is referred to as
communication concepts and techniques. This is a method of utilizing the Internet as a tool to
publicize a brand / product. This incorporates both direct marketing approach and indirect
marketing components and utilizes a broad range of new technology to link businesses with their
future clients.
The most creative and fresh trend of the 21st century is digital marketing. Examples such as
newsletters, internet ads, pay-per-click notifications, electronic text messages, RSS, tweeting,
faxes, video feeds, podcasting, broadcasting and more may well illustrate this. The concept of
digital marketing includes all these examples.
In addition to the included chart, there is no mainstream marketing that is not included in the
word digital marketing. They are TV, internet, written content and advertisement since they are

not the immediate or quick ways of marketing. This implies that the advertiser cannot provide
the immediate response from the end users of such types of marketing. The exact number of
respondents was not feasible for conventional methods of communication. Maybe with tools like
TiVo, which gathers data like the website, a little progress has been accomplished but the
intended outcome is not reached (Henninger, 2017). Nevertheless, the advent of digital media
rendered that feasible.
Digital marketing has been such a strong advertisement network that the planet has come very
closely connected to any location by launching Google's "Double Click" approach for Internet.
Campaigns to sell some commodity through the Internet have become very economic and easy
with the aid of digital marketing. The management's mentality has shifted. They've switched to
digital media from conventional advertising (Royle & Laing, 2014)
Effectiveness of Digital Marketing
New innovations have transformed the interaction between buyers and businesses and 'have
undermined the conventional purchase mechanism and the handling of interactions between
consumers and corporations'. The benefits and drawbacks of existing and modern platforms must
be taken into account when analyzing emerging technology and converted, from the point of
view of executives, into performance. The full capacity of online marketing strategies is not
being utilized by businesses while they do find it to be successful (Danaher & Rossiter, 2011).
However, there are several barriers to calculating brand efficacy owing to a 'multitude of
potential efficacy assessment indicators'. The term "effectiveness" in Chaffey (2009) relates to
"doing good" and "getting the necessary results from a realistic point of view." In the point of
view of advertisers, the five conclusions Kierzkowski et al. (1996) convey the appeal of
companies, consumers, consumer engagement programs, business experience and customer
interactions.
Martins et al. (2016) analyzed that companies will learn how to draw consumers to their website,
persuade them to become payers and keep them so that they want to return to their website.
Chaffey (2009) notes 'Internet marketing strategies used to achieve market recognition,
popularity and favorability targets and to affect the purchasing behavior by motivating new

media consumers to access the company or commodity on a website and eventually to buy
digitally or offline on conventional media platforms, for example on mobile or in shops.'
2. Explain in context of fashion industry of UK
Ryding et al. (2016) observed that at a period when consumers are continually overwhelmed with
promotional communications, advanced media and technologies render it extremely challenging
for businesses to succeed effectively through ads, particularly on the Internet, as electronic and
other tools are increasingly embraced and used. This marketing strategy will target many
different audiences and consumers by means of small spending on the website and on online
marketing.
In general, retail is a diverse and quickly evolving sector. In terms of sales and profitability, it
forms one of the most significant industries in the economy and thus reflects a rather productive
and sophisticated market. Digital marketing is a rapidly evolving and affordable approach that
meets as many consumers as possible. Internet marketing will only target existing consumers and
even new clients through various approaches through way of personalized digital marketing
(Ozuem, Howell & Lancaster, 2008).
Internet marketing gives both businesses and consumers several opportunities, but there are on
the other side several issues relating to internet marketing and the usage of computers and its
success in the target market. You don't minimize the marketing expenditure of your business
through internet promotions; rather, you rely more wisely on increasing your marketing budget
by engaging in a highly-target digital marketing strategy (Ryding et al., 2016).
In reality, now is the perfect opportunity for companies to evaluate their business plans and
concentrate on Internet marketing due to the rising costs associated with ads on mainstream
media.
Analysis of Digital Marketing in UK
In this age of connectivity and technology, there are not many businesses working without
advertisement. When certain firms perform well without selling that doesn't imply that the
business has reached the full demand and there is no further chance of expansion. If a company

performs good now, a marketing strategy will perform well and more market share can be
gained, as observed by Rathnayaka (2018).
It is not easy to run a firm without ads and not enough to advertise on the local daily to increase
business visibility if anyone owns a company in today's economy. In reality, it is not even
necessary for a TV advert to be carried on a local radio channel, as those with on-line ads are
rapidly the best publicity resources possible for anyone. In reality, once anyone begins
researching selling on the internet, he would soon realize that he now has the incredible
opportunity to meet millions of customers from a global viewpoint and a more personal
community of customers, closer to him and larger than his former business. It may use social
media as a place of business and even has a focused audience (Gray, 2006).
Of course, it is important to lure them to the platform that provides internet marketing services
until they eventually achieve the benefit of a broader customer base. Products and services must
be displayed on the website simply and visually appealing. It is a commercial 'shop' website in
the internet, it must be simple to locate items that are priced appropriately for the sector with
clearly defined distribution methods. Adding a blog to the website would provide consumers
with fresh content, pictures and inventions and meet the successful usage and redesign search
engine requirements. It also serves to place the search engine (Ryding et al., 2016).
Additionally, social networking platforms like Facebook, Buzz and Twitter, link creation or other
optimization strategies on search engines are common methods to support the company
audience. They can use Google Services such as Google Local to improve web visibility (Du,
2019).
There are some concerns relevant to online presence use all these resources and methods to
support our website by internet marketing. Digital protection is the biggest worry of people who
choose to shop digitally who are involved in ensuring sure their information is secure and may
not be misused in future. Cyber security is the primary concern. This problem can be addressed
by obtaining and installing on the web platform such electronic protection certificates.
Rathnayaka (2018) observed that certain internet marketing challenges may involve the intrusive
banner advertising on blogs, viral advertisements, so much detail regarding the company that is
not actually needed for all consumers on our website and company search problems. Rather we

can be really specific regarding our clients who regularly use the internet who have the correct
skills and ability to access the internet effectively when initiating a digital marketing strategy.
3. Discuss the current state of fashion UK industry - which digital marketing channels are
most popular.
According to today's big new analysis report, the overall contribution of the UK design industry
to the UK economy is close to £21 billion. This study, funded by the British Fashion Council,
'Value of the UK Fashion Industry,' describes the market and for the first time analyzes the true
scale and economic importance of the UK fashion industry. A broad variety of fashion goods and
pieces, including men's and women's clothes, bags and slides, and the importance of fashion
education, fashion promotion and fashion media have been examined in order to put the direct
economic impact of the sector to the UK GDP (Romo, García-Medina & Romero, 2017).
The study also stresses the vital position of cutting-edge British design and promotes activities
like London Fashion Week to fuel creativity, development and millions of tourists from around
the globe to the UK annually. In particular, the desire and demand generated by the high-end
design industry and their impact on and circulation of the main street-that is, high street retailers
(including department stores) and supermarkets-are factors behind the rise in the fashion sector
mentioned in the study. Secondly, the growth of many items other than clothes (such as
cosmetics, footwear and homeware) of fashion labels.
The study shows that 816,000 staff in a wide variety of positions operate directly in the new
British design industry which is the largest employer of all artistic industries. The apparel
industry is in addition the 15th largest industry in Great Britain (out of 81), comparable in scale
to the telecommunication and food services industries and larger than the wholesale and retail of
vehicle, leisure, chemical and advertising / vides industries. Creative and innovative innovations,
such as sweat-resistant sportswear, with expansion in on-line shopping, recycled product lines
and new fashion R&D and manufactures (Romo, García-Medina & Romero, 2017).
Most Popular Digital Marketing Channels
45 million e-commerce customers are actually working in the UK, with an estimated 4.06 million
anticipated to purchase digitally by 2021. These 49 million e-commerce consumers would invest

USD 2,251,820 online on average four years from now. Fashion remains with an expected
valuation of USD 34.85 billion the most commonly ordered online segment by 2021. Yet the
market is also rising with all this development in the apparel industry. Fashion brands will build
an Omni channel interface tailored to suit the desires of their customer during the journey of their
customers (Silva, Duarte & Sundetova 2020). According to Six digital marketing developments
influenced the 2019 fashion industry which fashion retailers will use to compete on the market:
Shoppable Content
Shoppable content is a type of visual exchange through sales points or product reviews that are
linked to material. The idea is possible since 2017, although it is scheduled to launch in 2019.
This is a huge benefit for ecommerce companies because immersive advertising increases the
digital interaction of their consumers. Facebook and Instagram networks allow marketers to
incorporate their goods into material.
Interactive & Personal Emails
The customer will connect with your cart and put an order via email. The benefits of a web or
media banner are social communications so completely tailored for the target market. You may
incorporate so many more such stuff as built-in ways that ask the consumers for input or
incorporate polls, snap carousels and accordions, configure products and counters.
Social media and influencers
Via Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram, leading social networks in the UK, there are 35
million social network users. The posts in Instagram give luxury companies a tremendous chance
for more consumers to profit from one of the most quickly growing social networking channels.
Instagram confirmed that 'Stories' enable people to remain on the site more regularly.
Visual Search
Digital quest is the new big method to transform e-commerce and social networking channels.
You will locate an object through a visual search by staring at a screenshot rather than submitting
a text question. With visual inspection, customers can quickly recognize and find a commodity.
The ASOS UK company is one of the first online style dealers to provide its customers with this

device. This platform has also been added to the IOS device through other companies including
Alibaba and Pinterest.
Dynamic Remarketing
You can display similar advertising to users who visited your website and have seen other
material or items via Remarketing and Analytics. Dynamic remarketing goes deeper with the use
of communications targeted to your target that help you build leads and revenues by returning
past users to your platform to finish what they had begun. Dynamic remarketing strategies allow
you to view hyper-target advertising focused on items browsed by real users.
Research Approach
The research approach is a strategy and process that contains specific assumptions regarding
comprehensive methods for gathering, evaluating and interpreting data. The essence of the research
problem is also dependent on it. The research approach for this study is given below:
Research Stance:
Interpretivism Theory will be taken up in the analysis. Interpretivism is "synonymous with the
philosophical stance of idealism and is used to merge different approaches such as Social Constructivism,
Phenomenology and Hermeneutics; philosophies which oppose the analytical view that value exists
throughout the universe without becoming conscious." It is necessary for the researcher to consider
discrepancies between people in terms of interpretivism as a social agent. In addition, interpretivism
research typically focus on context and may use various approaches to represent specific facets of the
problem.
Study Design:
This work will follow a hybrid form of study utilizing both qualitative and quantitative approaches.
Mixed approach Study is a technique for study including quantitative (e.g., studies, surveys), qualitative
research (e.g. focus group discussion, interviews) selection, interpretation and incorporation. This method
is used to explain the study question better than either of the individual integrations. By integrating
quantitative and qualitative analysis with data, the researcher receives understanding and help in scope
and width, thus compensating for the shortcomings inherent in each methodology (Creswell & Creswell,
2017). The probability of triangulation, i.e. the use of multiple means (methods, data sources and
investigators) to investigate the same phenomena, is one of our most beneficial features in conductor of

mixed system analysis. Triangulation enables one to more precisely classify features of a process by
addressing it through specific approaches and strategies from multiple points of view. Effective
triangulation calls for close consideration of the nature and weaknesses of knowledge given by each
system.
Quantitative evidence contains details from near range, including perceptions (e.g. ranking scales),
conducts (e.g. checklists of observation) and conducting instruments for measurement. This type of data
is evaluated by systematically evaluating data from methods (e.g. questionnaires) or lists to respond to
study questions or to check theories (Jebreen, 2012). Qualitative statistics are transparent data, which the
investigator typically gathers by interviews, focus groups and findings. The interpretation of the
qualitative evidence (words, text or conduct) usually reflects the manner in which it is aggregated into
knowledge categories and the different ideas gathered during the data collection are introduced (Creswell
& Creswell, 2017).
Quantitative approaches will be aimed at collecting data from consumers, while qualitative approaches
are aimed at gathering data from UK apparel stores. Customers need to consider the effect of their buying
behavior, understanding and consumer satisfaction through digital marketing technologies. At the other
side, a qualitative approach would analyze apparel retailers and consider their perception of digital media,
adoptability, impacts in brand objectives and cost behavior. Such primary work would be examined and
addressed in order to create the ties between digital marketing and fashion retailers' cost / marketing
goals.
Inductive or Deductive Research:
Inductive and deductive, both can be found with mixed approaches. Qualitative work is carried out
according to inductive reasoning, from evidence to logical generalization or theory. A researcher may use
the findings of a qualitative variable of a mixed approach analysis to guide a potential quantitative portion
(Creswell & Creswell, 2017). The quantitative aspect will use deductive inference to generate and
evaluate a conclusion utilizing the principle centered on qualitative evidence. Mixed approaches therefore
utilize the forces of all testing techniques to explain different aspects of the same phenomena with each
process. Quantitative allows the scientist to evaluate novel theories (Martins et al., 2016) Qualitative
enables the researcher to generate fresh theories (Jebreen, 2012). Hence, the present study on
“Investigating Impacts of Digital Marketing Tools On Cost and Marketing Objectives of Fashion
Retailers in The UK” will utilize both Inductive and Deductive research.
Strengths and Weaknesses of the research:

Strengths of this research are:
 This provides capabilities that counteract both quantitative and qualitative analysis shortcomings.
For example, quantitative analysis is incomplete when it comes to determining the meaning or the
atmosphere under which people behave. Qualitative work, on the other hand, is known to be
insufficient because of the researchers' propensity for skewed assumptions and the challenge of
generalizing results to a broad population. Such shortcomings do not occur in quantitative studies.
Thus, the benefits of each method will balance the shortcomings of the other by utilizing all styles
of analysis.
 Enables an interpretation of the study question more thoroughly and comprehensively than
quantitative or qualitative methods alone.
 Provides a more context-specific solution to designing improved tools. For example, it is
important to gather knowledge on a specific problem or building by utilizing qualitative analysis
in order for an instrument that tests the structure it aims to assess to be established with greater
construct validity.
 Support to clarify the effects or the causes.
Weaknesses of the Research are:
 It may be very complicated in terms of study architecture.
 Takes even more time and money for preparing and carrying out these work.
 Each approach may be challenging to prepare and implement when relying on another's
observations.
 How to overcome variations in the analysis of the findings may not be obvious.
Analyzing Data:
Details and knowledge obtained from the primary sources, and studies will concentrate on evaluating
views, suggestions and comments from participants. This thesis would observe exploratory research
methods as they help to discover fresh knowledge that can add value to established literature.
Ethical Issues:
 The ethical considerations of quantitative and qualitative approaches often refer to MMR (mixed
method research), since MMR is a combination of all principles. For example, quantitative
studies need authorization from participants, security of privacy, the prevention of website
disruption and correct reporting of the objectives of the test, whereas qualitative studies allow

participants to correctly communicate their aims, prevent deceptive activities, value sample
community, react to possible power issues and confidentiality.
 Potential ethical issues may mostly be defined, their collection and agreement can be difficult in
primary inquiries.
 Participant privacy and data management can also pose potential legal issues.
Gantt Chart
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ANALYSIS AND
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CONCLUSION
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REFERENCES

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