Trade fair debuts online orders

In light of the COVID-19 epidemic, the MODE 2020 Autumn/Winter apparel and accessories trade fair will feature a new online ordering system that aims to reduce contact between buyers and sellers.

The event will take place at ShanghaiMart from April 27 to 30.

According to Zhang Jie, project director of MODE, buyers simply need to scan a QR code provided by designers during the fair at ShanghaiMart to browse goods and place orders, hence reducing the time needed to perform a transaction in person.

“Brands can also automatically generate standardized electronic orders on the platform, eliminating the tedious form of traditional paper orders,” says Zhang.

Launched in 2015, MODE is a trade fair for fashion buyers that features designers from more than 30 countries and regions. This year, 150 apparel brands will participate in the trade fair. Because of the epidemic, the organizer has taken special measures such as limiting visitor flows and requiring people to wear masks and undergo temperature checks.

“We specifically chose this period to hold MODE,” says Zhang. “If we held it any earlier, we might not have had enough time to prepare. If we held it any later, we might miss the ordering season and that wouldn’t be good for the designers.”

Despite the availability of online ordering, The Timeless, a local brand that will attend the fair, still hopes to have face-toface communication with buyers so as to better understand the market situation.

“The online and offline synchronous trade fair is held in a timely and effective manner, which not only brings a new ordering mode but also solves the problem that customers could not be present during this special period,” says Hu Chunhui, founder of HCH, a local buyer’s shop.

The online and offline synchronous trade fair ... not only brings a new ordering mode but also solves the problem that customers could not be present during this special period.” Hu Chunhui, founder of a local buyer’s shop, HCH