IT, a key player in the fashion industry: the Diltex Brands case

The textile and clothing sector contributes 3.2% of the GDP of the manufacturing industries in Mexico, being one of the ten most important economic activities in the country, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI).

However, after the pandemic, the fashion industry had to adapt, not only to continue operating but to meet the new needs of consumers.

 

Faced with such a challenge, technology was a key piece to survive and stand out, an example of this is Diltex Brands, a Mexican business group with more than 70 years in the market that, even in the face of adverse conditions, has been able to strengthen its digital operation and consolidate your omnichannel strategy.  

For Diltex Brands, owner of the Ilusión and Fiorentina brands, partners of Fruit of the Loom and franchisees of David's Bridal in Mexico, innovating and evolving with new technologies for years has allowed them to be prepared and react with dynamism and flexibility during the health contingency, managing to safeguard the safety of its employees and continue serving its customers at the same time.

With the closure of physical stores during confinement, consumers moved towards digital purchases, which was reflected in an increase in electronic commerce in Mexico, which reached 316 billion pesos in 2020, according to indicators from the Association Mexican for Sale Online (AMVO).

Although the trend is expected to continue in the post-pandemic era, the digital consumer now also demands a better experience that involves product availability, efficiency in the delivery process, data security and privacy, as well as greater ecological awareness of the marks.

Hence, the technological component for companies that offer products and services over the Internet is essential to maintain customer preference and loyalty, even more so in the pandemic context.

A success story was Diltex Brands, a company that managed to increase its online sales eight times during the pandemic, compared to sales in 2019, how was it possible?

The support behind the group consists of comprehensive IT services for all sectors of the company, from manufacturing, through data centers and distribution model, to customer service, supported by strategic allies such as Salesforce and IBM, within those that stand out:

• Smart Distribution Center: state-of-the-art systems and technologies that help plan production volumes, have complete visibility of inventories, as well as a robot that selects and places garments in the right places to carry out a more agile and faster distribution, to any destination within of the Mexican Republic.
• World class computing center: essential servers to provide technological security and high availability to systems 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in order to manage and operate processes in the cloud, hand in hand with IBM, allowing the realization of core business processes, calculation of needs, management and dynamism of the plants, control of inputs and inventories, as well as an updated and efficient sales system.
• CRM and hyper-segmentation processes: automation of sending relevant information, according to the needs and interests of customers, supported by artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, for more accurate decision-making. Aligned to this, we worked with a Salesforce application that supports the sales force to strengthen the e-commerce offer.
• Omnichannel platform: growth of platforms and digital channels that, among other things, offer the same visibility and experience to customers, while providing support to people who participate in the direct sales scheme so that they can continue their business from home.

Technology has accompanied us and helped us to be an innovative, efficient and avant-garde company, thanks to that we managed to overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic and now we can continue to satisfy the needs of consumers, in accordance with their new habits and industry trends. industry.

The future for the company – owner of seven production plants in Hidalgo, Jalisco and San Luis Potosí, as well as 250 of its own stores and around 3,000 points of sale in national self-service and department chains – is to continue strengthening its technological infrastructure to streamline and streamline operations, maintaining a strong sustainable and social commitment in the process.