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Womenswear - UK - May 2019

OVERVIEW
What you need to know
Products covered in this Report
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The market
Sales of womenswear continue to grow
Figure 1: Consumer spending on women’s clothing, 2013-23
Clothing prices fall into deflation
Figure 2: Consumer price inflation, March 2018-March 2019
Companies and brands
Amazon outperforms the clothing specialists in terms of trust and differentiation
Figure 3: Attitudes towards and usage of selected brands, December 2018 and February 2019
Marketing spend boosted by uplift in digital advertising
Figure 4: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on women’s fashion, 2014-18
The consumer
Most still shop in-store for clothing, but online now also popular
Figure 5: How women bought clothing in the last 12 months, December 2018
Women continue to favour value and high street brands
Figure 6: Womenswear brand preferences, December 2018
One in five British women buy plus-size clothing
Figure 7: Clothing sizes worn by womenswear consumers, December 2018
Consumers are frustrated with size variation
Figure 8: Attitudes towards buying clothing, December 2018
A strong demand for more representative clothing models
Figure 9: Interest in innovation, December 2018
Savvy shoppers are taking advantage of discounting activity
Figure 10: Clothing buying behaviour, December 2018
What we think
ISSUES AND INSIGHTS
Merging the online and offline experience
The facts
The implications
The big discounting challenge
The facts
The implications
Ongoing issues with returns, sizing and fit
The facts
The implications
THE MARKET – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Continued uplift in sales of womenswear
Low inflation could impact growth
Ongoing uncertainty threatens consumer confidence
Market exposed to unpredictable weather
MARKET SIZE AND FORECAST
Womenswear market forecast to grow 3.8% in 2019
Figure 11: Consumer spending on women’s clothing, 2013-23
Figure 12: Consumer spending on women’s clothing, at current and constant prices, 2013-23
Forecast methodology
MARKET DRIVERS
Population changes threaten growth
Figure 13: Trends in the age structure of the UK female population, 2016-26
Figure 14: Trends in the age structure of the UK female population, 2016-26
Clothing and footwear inflation peaks in 2017
Figure 15: Consumer price inflation, 2007-18
Downward pressure on womenswear prices
Figure 16: Consumer price inflation, March 2018-March 2019
Real wages remain strong to date in 2019
Figure 17: Real wage growth – Average weekly earnings vs inflation, January 2014-March 2019
Consumers are worried about Brexit
Figure 18: How consumers think Brexit will impact the UK economy, December 2018
Footfall declines apparent across all types of retail locations
Figure 19: Change in UK retail footfall, by location, January 2016-December 2018
Fluctuating weather patterns hit retailers hard
Figure 20: Change in average daily temperatures in the UK, January 2016-December 2018
COMPANIES AND BRANDS – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Retailers focus on improving the online experience
Increased digital advertising in the UK womenswear market
Amazon could be a strong player in the UK clothing market
New Look leads on in-store womenswear space
LAUNCH ACTIVITY AND INNOVATION
Product launches and innovations
Tapping into new categories
Customised denim
Voice shopping
Online fashion styling tips and shopping
Sustainable fashion
Store concepts and shop environment
Clothing rental service
ADVERTISING AND MARKETING ACTIVITY
Advertising spend increased in 2018
Figure 21: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on women’s fashion, 2014-18
Uplift in expenditure driven by digital
Figure 22: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on women’s fashion, by media type, 2018
Figure 23: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on women’s fashion, by media type, 2014-18
Key campaigns
M&S most digital campaign to date
Nasty Gal adverts banned for being ‘socially irresponsible’
Women empowerment campaigns
Tapping into the power of celebrities
Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
BRAND RESEARCH
Brand map
Figure 24: Attitudes towards and usage of selected brands, December 2018 and February 2019
Key brand metrics
Figure 25: Key metrics for selected brands, December 2018 and February 2019
Brand attitudes: White Stuff and FatFace worth paying more for
Figure 26: Attitudes, by brand, December 2018 and February 2019
Brand personality: Fast fashion retailers seen as fun and accessible
Figure 27: Brand personality – macro image, December 2018 and February 2019
River Island seen as aspirational
Figure 28: Brand personality – micro image, December 2018 and February 2019
Brand analysis
The online-only retailers: ASOS, Boohoo and Missguided
The fashion-led retailers: River Island and Urban Outfitters
The off-price fashion retailer: TK Maxx
The lifestyle brands: White Stuff and FatFace
SPACE ALLOCATION SUMMARY
Methodology
New Look to give more space to womenswear
Figure 29: Men’s, women’s and childrenswear space allocation overview, October 2018
M&S holding on to market-leading position
Figure 30: Leading clothing retailers, estimated sales, by product, 2017
THE CONSUMER – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
British women shop for clothing often
Two out of three womenswear consumers shop online
Value and high street brands remain popular
Demand for plus-size and petite fashion strong
Women face a number of pain points when shopping for clothing
Merging the online and offline experience
Consumers take advantage of widespread discounting
WHAT THEY BUY
Market driven by young and old
Figure 31: Women who have bought clothing in the last 12 months, by demographics, December 2018
Clothing and underwear most frequently purchased
Figure 32: What fashion items women have bought in the last 3 months, March 2019
Separates remain more popular than dresses
Figure 33: What clothing items women have bought in the last 3 months, March 2019
Women less likely to buy multiple clothing items
Figure 34: Number of clothing items bought on last shopping trip, by gender, March 2019
Women spend less per shopping trip
Figure 35: Amount spent on clothing items on last shopping trip, by gender, March 2019
HOW THEY SHOP
Online penetration high
Figure 36: How women bought clothing in the last 12 months, December 2018
Online market driven by young women
Figure 37: How women bought clothing in the last 12 months, by age, December 2018
BRAND PREFERENCES
High street brands reign supreme
Figure 38: Womenswear brand preferences, December 2018
Young women favour value brands
Figure 39: Womenswear brand preferences, by age, December 2018
WOMENSWEAR SIZING
One in five buy plus-size clothing
Figure 40: Clothing sizes worn by womenswear consumers, December 2018
Strong demand for mature plus-size fashion
Figure 41: Clothing sizes worn by womenswear consumers, by age, December 2018
Most are confident in their clothing size
Figure 42: Repertoire of clothing sizes worn by womenswear consumers, December 2018
Strong demand for petite clothing
Figure 43: Height of womenswear consumers, December 2018
ATTITUDES TOWARDS BUYING CLOTHING
Difficulty finding clothing that fits well
Figure 44: Attitudes towards buying clothing, December 2018
Frustration with size variation is widespread
Figure 45: Attitudes towards buying clothing, by age, December 2018
Plus-size shoppers find shopping more problematic
Figure 46: Attitudes towards buying clothing, by clothing size worn, December 2018
Premium and luxury shoppers face fewer challenges
Figure 47: Attitudes towards buying clothing, by brand preferences, December 2018
INTEREST IN INNOVATION
Demand for sizing avatars is strong
Figure 48: Interest in innovation, December 2018
Young women want better fitting rooms
Figure 49: Interest in innovation, by age, December 2018
Premium and luxury shoppers want more in-store tech
Figure 50: Interest in innovation, by brand preferences, December 2018
CLOTHES BUYING BEHAVIOUR 
Womenswear shoppers are less critical of value fashion
Figure 51: Clothing buying behaviour, December 2018
Discounting problematic in the youth market
Figure 52: Clothing buying behaviour – discounting, by age, December 2018
Overconsumption rife amongst women
Figure 53: Clothing buying behaviour – frequency and returns, by age, December 2018
Premium brands have eroded price integrity
Figure 54: Clothing buying behaviour – frequency and returns, by brand preferences, December 2018
APPENDIX – DATA SOURCES, ABBREVIATIONS AND SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Abbreviations
Consumer research methodology
APPENDIX – MARKET SIZE AND FORECAST
Best- and worst-case forecast
Figure 55: Consumer spending on women’s clothing, best- and worst-case forecast, 2018-23
Forecast methodology

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