Want to learn about the Retail Data-Forwardness Index?

RDI report

The Nextail Retail Data-Forwardness Index tracks data talent in fashion and ranks retailers on the degree to which they prioritize the collection and use of data to drive business strategy and improve the customer experience.

Learn more about the report logic here

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Retail Data-Forwardness Index 2022

Sportswear shoots and scores, while Fast Fashion fights back

Sportswear brands are the most committed to digital capability and were the fashion retail sector’s biggest investors in data and digital talent recruitment in 2022. But fast fashion brands are snapping at their sneakers, recording their highest YoY increase (16.3%) in the total number of data-related hires and the strongest growth in overall RD (62.9% increase). 
 

Retail Data-Forwardness Index 2021

In 2020, the fashion industry faced a reckoning: long-held assumptions were challenged, operational inefficiencies became impossible to ignore, and customer demands shifted at dizzying speeds.

In 2021, fashion retailers employed 40.3% more data-related professionals than in 2020, making it clear they’re on to put the pandemic behind them and pursue a data-driven future.

 

Retail Data-Forwardness Index 2020

The “new retail” requires new technologies, processes, and customer insights based on data in order to keep up with constantly shifting demand across channels. But are fashion organizations hiring professionals with the right skills to turn it into something meaningful and with true business impact? They seem to be, since data-related professionals in fashion retail companies have grown more than 7% since 2019.