Global Apparel Solutions Expert Alvanon Will Offer Best Practices for Customer Engagement and Innovation at World Retail Congress

Visitors invited to bring along their most challenging questions regarding any aspect of their apparel/retail businesses

Alvanon president and apparel industry business authority Ed Gribbin will chair a three-person panel addressing “innovation” at The World Retail Congress being held April 12 – 14, 2016, Madinat Jumeirah Hotel, Dubai. The panel’s topic is titled “Inside out and upside down: Creating internal teams and cultures that drive company innovation.”  In addition to leading the panel discussion, Alvanon’s Gribbin will offer expert insights on fashion industry issues and best practice apparel solutions ranging from innovation and supply chain consulting through to strategic merchandising and customer engagement. The event will take place April 14, 2016, 11:30 a.m.

 

Joining Gribbin on the panel will be Antonia Jermendy, Head of Innovation & Test at Swarovski and Allan MacDonald, Chief Operating Officer at Canadian Tire.

 

Says Alvanon’s Gribbin, “Just as the panel topic ‘Inside out and upside down…’ implies, expect the unexpected in this session. In the past, apparel brands and retailers have typically followed predictable, time-honored paths to develop new products, often with exceptionally long calendar lead times, but the very familiarity of the processes tends to stifle innovation. With Alvanon’s global supply chain consulting expertise, we are accustomed to turning processes, practices and ideas inside out and upside down to reveal the best, most innovative apparel solutions.”

 

Gribbin adds that customer engagement is a key challenge in today’s industry. “Customer engagement is at the heart of the World Retail Congress’s overall theme this year:  ‘Attracting and Engaging with the Modern Customer.’  Technology is continually evolving in ways that increase shoppers’ expectations.  In fashion, customers’ standards for product quality, availability and service grow ever higher, and their preferences are ever more discerning. Retailers must find ways to satisfy these expectations, and traditional processes will not work.”

 

Visitors attending the panel discussion are encouraged to bring along their most challenging questions regarding any aspect of their business, from design through production, from marketing, to point of sale and customer satisfaction after the sale.  “Every step in the customer engagement and product development process cries out for innovation,” Gribbin says. “Acting on that will enable companies to realize their ultimate goal: to grow their businesses.”

About Alvanon
Alvanon was founded in 2001 when it developed a unique and innovative data-driven approach to solving the challenges of sizing and fit inherent in the apparel industry. Since that time it has evolved into a global consulting firm advising the world’s leading apparel organizations on how to align their internal teams, processes and supply chains; more intimately engage their existing and target customers; and innovate to optimize profitability and achieve their growth objectives. It has amassed a wealth of expertise across every key industry discipline including consumer analytics, concept and technical design, product development, manufacturing, quality, sourcing, planning, merchandising, distribution, marketing, e-commerce and training. Alvanon works with its clients across multiple apparel sectors in 89 countries. It operates from its head office in New York, European headquarters in London, and Asia office in Hong Kong. Alvanon also has research, development and manufacturing facilities in Dongguan and Shenzhen in China.

For more information please visit: www.alvanon.com