updated

Sourcing footwear and apparel materials has historically been time-, travel-, and resource-heavy; the time has come to streamline the material sourcing value chain with technology.

Traditionally a belly-to-belly transaction, the process of sourcing and then managing materials has been analog-based and relied on multiple, separate systems. This has resulted in a slow and complex go-to-market journey; our recent survey (source: Digital Sourcing Report) shows it can take up to 40 weeks – nearly a year! – to source materials and get a product to market.

Ecommerce and the digital economy have leveled the business landscape as audiences, including buyers and end-customers, now expect efficient digitalization and comprehensive product information. As a result, these expectations have reached apparel and footwear material sourcing which has changed the game for suppliers. Suppliers face business challenges today that did not exist just a few years ago. The good news is there are also new opportunities to reach buyers that were not possible previously.

Material sourcing has evolved; we are currently in the fourth wave of industry maturity. No longer is it enough to rely on physical systems and fax machines to transact business. Today’s savvy industry buyers and suppliers know material sourcing today is about managing the entire lifecycle of material design, fabrication, and distribution with less cost and faster time-to-market using technology.