Ebbs and Flows of E-Commerce and M-Commerce in Fashion Business: Digital Markets and Mobility

Fashion market has always been considered luxurious and has always been in the top in terms of quality and price. It is for those, who have a considerable amount of disposable income to spear, and are willing to pay higher prices for products in comparison to the average consumer market. According to existing data, it has been recorded that the luxury market accounts for the most consumer consumption in the fashion category, as many have the aspirational value of owning something that is high fashion. The purpose of this study is to comprehend the factors that have the potential to sustain online shopping. Survey method has been used to see the consumer behavior towards startup fashion brands. Although this had been the pattern for many years, there has been a considerable change in the consumer behavior towards luxury goods over the past year, due to the impact of COVID-19. This virus has not only impacted and harmed the livelihoods of the people, but has also affected the economy gravely. This resulted in many businesses being shut down as well as many employees being laid-off. Major business suffered for the few initial months as well. Amidst all of this, small business found it very hard to thrive, especially startups. The findings state that there is a shift from brick & mortar concept to digital platforms. This is shown with the percentage, Bar graphs and pie charts. They either shut down or tried to save their business by some means. Keeping in mind the changes that occurred in the consumer patterns towards fashion in the earlier stages of this pandemic and for startup fashion businesses to have opened up its doors, this paper discusses the opportunities gained and challenges faced by startup fashion brands during COVID-19. This research recommends to gather more into digital marketing, E-Commerce and M-Commerce, as they are the new platforms and the future of shopping.