Digital Loom 2026: ERP Continues To Underserve Fashion

If there’s anything we all know about fashion, it’s that there is no such thing as a ‘normal’ year.

Tariffs, legislation, supply chain disruption, shifting consumer demand, AI hype cycles, margin pressure, inventory headaches… and somehow ERP is still expected to hold everything together.

That’s exactly why we created Digital Loom, our annual research project designed to uncover the challenges fashion companies face and where ERP continues to fall short in meeting those needs.

Now in its third edition, and bigger than ever with 330 respondents across Europe and North America, Digital Loom 2026 explores how fashion and retail businesses actually feel about their ERP environments.

From vendor performance and regional trends through to apparel-specific challenges, PLM support, and the growing reliance on third-party tools, the findings paint a clear picture of an industry still underserved by generalist ERP.

Among this year’s findings:

• 68% of organisations still rely on third-party tools to fill ERP gaps
• Only 31% say their ERP supports sample-specific costing
• Just 32% support inventory ringfencing for customer prioritisation
• Microsoft, SAP, and Oracle continue to dominate market share, but no single vendor leads across adoption, performance, and satisfaction
• Enterprise organisations now show the highest reliance on external tools

Whether you’re evaluating a new ERP, planning an upgrade, or simply trying to understand where your current technology stack falls short, Digital Loom 2026 provides one of the most detailed snapshots of fashion ERP performance available today.

Download your free copy below 👇