Table of Contents
Overview
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- What you need to know
- Definition
Executive Summary
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- The issues
- Market vitality is weak
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- Figure 1: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of women’s clothing, at current prices, 2012-22
- The basics are broken
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- Figure 2: Attitudes toward price and quality of clothing, April 2017
- Role of the physical store transforming
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- Figure 3: Retailers shopped, by generation, April 2017
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- Figure 4: Desired in-store improvements, by generation, April 2017
- The opportunities
- Address sizing concerns
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- Figure 5: Size-related attitudes and interests, by age, April 2017
- Find the mobile touchpoints
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- Figure 6: Mobile attitudes and behaviors, by generation, April 2017
- Capitalize on the social nature of shopping
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- Figure 7: Influence of social media, by age, and shopping mindset, April 2017
- What it means
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Large market, slow growth
- Economic factors look positive, so why aren’t women spending more on clothes?
- Obesity remains a key issue
- Mobile device ownership means more mobile orders
Market Size and Forecast
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- Market remains soft
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- Figure 8: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of women’s clothing, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 9: Total US retail sales and forecast of women's clothing, at current prices, 2012-22
Market Breakdown
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- Activewear a bright spot in this fragmented sector
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- Figure 10: Total US retail sales of women's clothing, by segment, at current prices, 2012-17
- Figure 11: Total US retail sales of women's clothing, by segment, at current prices, 2015 and 2017
- Womenswear commands lion’s share, but menswear outpacing in growth
Market Factors
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- Female population growing, aging, and diversifying
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- Figure 12: 18+ Female population by age, 2017-22
- Figure 13: 18+ Female population by generation, 2017
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- Figure 14: Women by race and Hispanic origin, 2017-22
- Consumers maintaining balanced approach when it comes to finances
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- Figure 15: Top ways extra money is spent, January 2017
- Obesity dilemma worsens, bringing more demand for plus-sized clothing
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- Figure 16: Prevalence of obesity among US women aged 20 and over, by age, race and Hispanic origin, 2015
- Mobile device ownership reaches new heights
- More people working at home
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- Pop-up retailing embraced by brands and shoppers
- Plus size market still underserved
- Is the pressure to differentiate impacting quality?
- Will Amazon rule women’s apparel too?
- The fine line between automation and hyper human service
What’s Working?
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- Fashion trends: what’s old is new again
- In their words: current trends and cool brands
- Athleisurewear remains a bright spot
- Alternative retail shops emerge
- Physical stores seek options for flexibility
- Stores fold to focus online
- Pure-play expands to physical world
What’s Struggling?
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- Fit to be tried
- Sizing tools
- Plus and petite sizes
- Department stores consider their options
- Missing the mark on quality
- Affordable luxury is the new upscale
- In their words: Outdated trends and brands
What’s Next?
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- Technology changing how women shop
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- Figure 17: Interest in technology, by age, April 2017
- Service models changing how women engage
- Retail automation
- In their words: robots versus humans
- Clienteling
- The Amazon effect
- Clothing gets smarter
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- For most, clothes shopping is an occasional leisure time activity
- Men are in the category too
- Department stores most shopped channel
- Mobile at the core of online shopping
- Women generally optimistic about shopping
Shopping Frequency and Seasonality
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- Half of women shop only occasionally
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- Figure 18: Shopping frequency, April 2017
- Women under 35 shop the most often
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- Figure 19: Shopping frequency, by age, April 2017
- Lack of seasonal variation
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- Figure 20: Seasonality, April 2017
- In their words: impulse versus planned
Items Purchased
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- “The basics” are still popular
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- Figure 21: Items purchased, January 2016 – March 2017
- Casual clothing prioritized over more formal pieces
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- Figure 22: Select items purchased, January 2016 – March 2017
- Men play an important role in gifting
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- Figure 23: Women’s clothing items purchased by men, January 2016 – March 2017
Spending Patterns
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- Spending remains status quo for most
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- Figure 24: Spending, April 2017
- In their words: spending more, less or the same?
- More
- Less
- About the same
- Majority of past three-month spending falls below $300
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- Figure 25: Amount spent on women’s apparel in past three months, by gender, January 2016 - March 2017
- In their words: clothes or experiences?
Shopping Mindset
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- Give me the basics
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- Figure 26: Shopping mindset, April 2017
- Being practical becomes more important as women age
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- Figure 27: Shopping mindset, by age, April 2017
- Most women see clothes shopping as fun, social and a chance to try new styles…as long as the price is right
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- Figure 28: Retail shopping segmentation, percentage by segment, January 2016 - March 2017
- Figure 29: Retail shopping segmentation, by age, January 2016 - March 2017
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- Figure 30: Attitudes about fashion and shopping, by select segments, January 2016 – March 2017
- In their words: women describe their personal style
Retailers Shopped
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- Department stores hang on, but for how long?
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- Figure 31: Retailers shopped, April 2017
- Age factors into retailer choice
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- Figure 32: Top retailers shopped, by age, April 2017
- In-store environment affects shopping process
- In their words: how environment makes a difference
- Experiential retailing takes shopping beyond mere transactions
Alternative Shopping Options
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- Subscription services
- In their words
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- Figure 33: Stitch Fix television ad, June 2017
- Figure 34: Stitch Fix E-mail advertisement, April 2017
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- Figure 35: Fabletics television ad, May 2017
- Rental services
- In their words
- Preowned marketplace
- In their words
Online Shopping Process
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- Online shopping spans generations
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- Figure 36: Retailers shopped online, by generation, April 2017
- Path to purchase reaffirms mobile’s role
- Computers versus mobile devices
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- Figure 37: Preferred devices for online shopping, by age, April 2017
- Retailers’ sites versus brand/manufacturers’ sites
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- Figure 38: Preference for retailers’ vs. brands’ sites, by age, April 2017
- Mobile shopping behaviors
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- Figure 39: Mobile shopping behaviors, by age, April 2017
- Opportunities to engage at the store post-purchase
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- Figure 40: In-store pickup and return preferences, by age, April 2017
Attitudes toward Clothes Shopping
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- Clothes shopping is a passion area for many
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- Figure 41: Percentage who enjoy clothes shopping, by key demographics, April 2017
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- Figure 42: Spending, by attitudes toward clothes shopping – Any agree, April 2017
- Attitudes related to cost
- Shoppers have been trained not to pay full price
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- Figure 43: Cost-related attitudes, April 2017
- Attitudes related to customer service
- Nearly half of Millennials would consult their phone before a salesperson
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- Figure 44: Customer-service related attitudes, April 2017
- In their words
- Marketing opportunities
- Shoppers seeking transparency and improved quality
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- Figure 45: Attitudes related to marketing and clothing quality, April 2017
- Figure 46: Attitude regarding use of real women versus models in advertising, by key demographics, April 2017
Influencers
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- Media carries huge influence
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- Figure 47: Influencers, April 2017
- Social media is number one influencer among 18-24s
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- Figure 48: Top media influencers, by age, April 2017
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- Figure 49: Social media websites visited, by age, April 2017
- Shoppable imagery moves online shoppers along the path to purchase
Desired Retail Improvements
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- Sizing improvements top the list
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- Figure 50: Desired retail improvements, April 2017
- High-value customers reinforce importance of proper fit, quality merchandise, and in-store experience
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- Figure 51: Spending more, by select desired retail improvements, April 2017
- TURF analysis provides quantitative support for maximizing reach
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- Figure 52: TURF Analysis – Desired retail improvements, April 2017
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Sales data
- Fan chart forecast
- Consumer survey data
- Consumer qualitative research
- Direct marketing creative
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Appendix – Market
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- Figure 53: Total US retail sales and forecast of women's clothing, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2012-22
- Figure 54: GDP change from previous period, Q1 2007-Q1 2017
- Figure 55: Consumer confidence and unemployment, 2000-May 2017
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- Figure 56: Disposable Personal Income change from previous period, January 2007-May 2017
- Figure 57: US gasoline and diesel retail prices, January 2007-June 2017
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Appendix – Consumer
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- Figure 59: Table - TURF Analysis – Desired retail improvements, April 2017
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- Figure 60: US retail sales at clothing and clothing accessories stores, 2015 - May 2017
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- Figure 61: Purchase incidence of women’s clothing, by gender, January 2012 – March 2017
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- Figure 62: Women’s clothing items purchased, January 2012 – March 2017
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- Figure 63: Amount spent by women on women’s apparel in past three months, by age, race and Hispanic origin, January 2016 - March 2017
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- Figure 64: Women’s lingerie items purchased, January 2016-March 2017
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- Figure 65: Bra brands purchased, January 2016-March 2017
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- Figure 66: Retail shopping segmentation, by household income, January 2016-March 2017
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- Figure 67: Attitudes/opinions about apparel, by segment - part one, January 2016-March 2017
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- Figure 68: Attitudes/opinions about apparel, by segment - part two, January 2016-March 2017
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- Figure 69: Attitudes/opinions about shopping, by segment - part one, January 2016-March 2017
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- Figure 70: Attitudes/opinions about shopping, by segment - part two, January 2016-March 2017
- Additional qualitative information
- Spending amounts
- Spending priorities
- In-store environment
- Subscription services
- Customer service
- Current trends and brands
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