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Industry practice
In lifestyle categories the imagery is the argument
For apparel, footwear, furniture and homeware, the visual language does more work than any copy, and the visual language that works at home frequently reads differently abroad.
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- Decisive
- Imagery and visual language
- Second
- Fit, sizing and returns
- Channel
- Marketplace, D2C, specialist retail
- Frequently fatal
- Returns cost
What changes across markets
More than in technical categories, and less predictably.
- Visual language. Styling, model casting, setting and colour conventions carry different meanings and a straight lift frequently reads as foreign in an unhelpful way.
- Fit and sizing. The most common and most expensive failure in apparel and footwear, and it shows up as returns rather than as complaints.
- Returns economics. Higher in these categories than any other, and a returns rate that works at home can make an export market unprofitable.
- Occasion and use. Furniture and homeware in particular are bought for different room sizes, climates and living patterns.
- Price and provenance. Where the product is made carries different weight by category and market, sometimes positive and sometimes not.
What gets built
Visual and commercial together, because in these categories they are the same decision.
A market brand platform
Including the visual direction, which is the substantive part here rather than a downstream execution.
Photography and imagery direction
What to shoot, with whom, in what setting, for that market.
Identity and packaging
Brand identity and guidelines, adapted where naming or conventions need it.
Sizing and fit strategy
Conversion charts, model information and content that reduces returns before they happen.
Returns model
Built into the contribution calculation from the start rather than discovered in quarter two.
Channel sequence and listings
Creator and lookbook programme
Where the category supports it, chosen for aesthetic fit rather than reach.
Why lifestyle brands outsource this
Creative direction at the seniority these categories need is expensive in Europe and Japan, and the volume of content required is high.
A senior individual setting direction, with production executed under brief, costs a fraction of an agency and keeps the standard consistent across markets.
The test remains whether the thinking is at the level you would have paid home-market rates for.
Questions overseas teams ask
Can you handle the photography?
Direction and brief from me, production through partners in the relevant market, because local casting and setting matter enormously in these categories.
How do we control returns?
Content before logistics. Accurate sizing information, model measurements, material detail and honest photography reduce returns more than any policy change.
Which market first?
Usually determined by returns economics and shipping cost rather than by market size, which surprises most brands.
Should we localise the brand name?
Check pronounceability, existing trademarks and unintended meanings before printing anything. It is inexpensive to check and expensive to discover.
Send me three product images
Whatever you currently use. I will tell you how they would read to a buyer in your target market, which is frequently not how they read at home.
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Kunal Waghmare · Padmavati Hills, Mokai Vasti, Bavdhan, Pune, Maharashtra 411021, India
office@quiamo.com · +91 90216 02686 · English