Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The Market
- COVID-19 will lead to dramatic sales decline in 2020
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- Figure 1: Forecast for consumer spending on womenswear (adjusted for COVID-19), 2014-24
- Market will see some recovery in 2021
- Brexit uncertainty remains
- A fifth of women are really worried about 2020
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- Figure 2: How consumers feel about their financial situation over the next year, by gender, April 2020
- Impact of COVID-19 on Womenswear
- Opportunities and Threats
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- Figure 3: Expected impact of COVID-19 on womenswear, short, medium and long term, May 2020
- Companies and Brands
- Primark is the favourite brand but seen as unethical
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- Figure 4: Attitudes towards and usage of selected brands, September 2019-February 2020
- Retailers use innovation to adapt to COVID-19 climate
- Adspend falls slightly in 2019
- The Consumer
- Jeans remain popular, but trend for dresses grows
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- Figure 5: What clothing items women have bought in the last 3 months, March 2020
- Big jump in young women shopping online
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- Figure 6: How women bought clothing in the last 12 months, December 2019
- Value retailers most popular for fashion
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- Figure 7: Where women bought clothing in the last 12 months, December 2019
- Price stands out as the biggest priority
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- Figure 8: Purchase drivers when buying womenswear from different types of clothing retailers, December 2019
- Importance of special occasions
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- Figure 9: What encourages women to buy new clothing for themselves, December 2019
- Issues with sizing
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- Figure 10: Agreement or disagreement with attitudes towards buying womenswear, December 2019
- Growing interest in sustainability
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- Figure 11: Interest in innovations when shopping for clothes, December 2019
- Importance of versatile clothing
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- Figure 12: Shopping behaviour when buying womenswear, December 2019
- What we think
The Impact of COVID-19 on Womenswear
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- Short, medium and long-term impact on the industry
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- Figure 13: Expected impact of COVID-19 on womenswear, short, medium and long-term, May 2020
- Short term
- Medium term
- Long term
- Opportunities and Threats
- Elevating the online experience helps brands connect with customers
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- Figure 14: Seasalt’s online book club, May 2020
- Digital communication replaces one-to-one interactions in the short term…
- …and will be needed to ease consumer concern in the medium term…
- …but such technology and services will leave a longer-term legacy on the market
- Masks present a branding opportunity for fashion
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- Figure 15: Changes consumers have made as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, by gender and age group, 9-16 April 2020
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- Figure 16: Little Mistress NHS Kindred Rainbow thank you NHS face mask, May 2020
- Figure 17: Boohoo’s Woman face mask, May 2020
- Using technology to deal with disruption to supply chains and fashion events
- Value retailers to benefit and new discount players to emerge
- Opportunities for retailers to support local manufacturing
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- Figure 18: Mulberry producing PPE gowns for the NHS, May 2020
- Growth of second-hand market and swapping
- Impact on the womenswear market
- Dramatic decline in sales expected in 2020
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- Figure 19: Forecast for consumer spending on womenswear (adjusted for COVID-19), 2014-24
- Shift to online sales will not offset loss of store sales, but will create a legacy
- Impact on the supply chain
- More retailers will collapse in 2021 but the sector will see some recovery
- Shifts in consumer behaviour
- Shift towards more conspicuous spending
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- Figure 20: Consumers who expect to spend less on clothing and accessories over the next month, by gender and age group, 30 April – 7 May, 2020
- Growing focus on health and wellbeing trend
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- Figure 21: Changes consumers have made as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, by gender and age group, 9-16 April 2020
- Support for local independent fashion retailers
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- Figure 22: Changes consumers have made as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, by gender and age group, 7-14 May 2020
- How the crisis will affect key consumer segments
- Older women likely to continue to avoid visiting stores
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- Figure 23: Changes in shopping behaviour since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, by gender and age group 7-14 May 2020
- Young women will continue to shop online
- How a COVID-19 recession will reshape womenswear
- Savvy shopping behaviours will be accentuated
- Value retailers benefited in the 2008/09 recession
- Womenswear likely to be hit harder in this recession
- Impact on the marketing mix
- Brands showing support for COVID-19 effort viewed favourably
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- Figure 24: Nike’s Play Inside campaign, April 2020
- More authentic imagery in fashion to become the norm
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- Figure 25: boohoointhehouse, May 2020
- COVID-19: Market context
Issues and Insights
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- Appealing to the under-served growing older female consumer
- The facts
- The implications
- Maintaining the focus on sustainability despite changing priorities
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Womenswear sales see slow growth in 2019
- COVID-19 will lead to dramatic sales decline in 2020
- Market will see some recovery in 2021
- High rates of female obesity
- Brexit uncertainty remains
- Women less positive about their financial wellbeing than men
- A fifth of women are really worried about 2020
- 55% of women plan to spend less on clothing
Market Size and Forecast
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- Womenswear sales see slow growth in 2019
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- Figure 26: Consumer spending on women’s clothing, at current and constant prices, 2014-19
- Outlook in light of COVID-19
- COVID-19 will lead to a dramatic sales decline in 2020
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- Figure 27: Forecast for consumer spending on womenswear (adjusted for COVID-19), 2014-24
- Figure 28: Forecast for consumer spending on womenswear (adjusted for COVID-19), 2014-24
- Market will see some recovery in 2021
- Pre-COVID-19 forecast highlights the crisis’ impact on sales
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- Figure 29: Forecast for consumer spending on womenswear (pre-COVID-19 forecast), 2014-24
- Figure 30: Forecast for consumer spending on womenswear (pre-COVID-19 forecast), 2014-24
- Forecast methodology
Market Drivers
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- Catering to an ageing population
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- Figure 31: Trends in the age structure of the female UK population, 2019 and 2024
- High rates of female obesity
- Womenswear deflation drops further
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- Figure 32: Consumer price inflation, January 2019-March 2020
- Brexit uncertainty remains
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- Figure 33: Female consumer views on the impact of the EU referendum, April 2020
- Women less positive about their financial wellbeing than men
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- Figure 34: How consumers generally describe their financial situation at the moment, by gender and age, April 2020
- A fifth of women are really worried about 2020
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- Figure 35: How consumers feel about their financial situation over the next year, by gender, April 2020
- 55% of women plan to spend less on clothing
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- Figure 36: Consumers planning to spend more or less on clothing and accessories, by gender, 23-30 April 2020
- Changes in habits and behaviour as a result of COVID-19
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- Figure 37: Consumers who have spent more time taking part in more home workouts since the COVID-19 outbreak, by gender and age, April 2020
Companies and Brands – What You Need to Know
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- Retailers use innovation to adapt to COVID-19 climate
- Celebrating new loungewear and streetwear collaborations
- Adspend falls slightly in 2019
- Key campaigns focus on inclusivity
- Primark is the favourite brand but seen as unethical
- M&S makes Per Una focus of its stores
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- How retailers are adapting to COVID-19 climate
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- Figure 38: Mango factory workers making gowns, March 2020
- Rise in gender-fluid collections
- Celebrating new loungewear and streetwear collaborations
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- Figure 39: H&M & Desmond & Dempsey collaboration, spring 2020
- New concept stores opened
- Retailers add more sporty styles
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- Figure 40: M&S’ Goodmove athleisure range, January 2020
- Growing focus on sustainability
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- Figure 41: John Lewis and Mother of Pearl collaboration, April 2020
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- Figure 42: Mango’s denim range as part of its Second Chances sustainable project, 2020
- Using technology for fashion
Advertising and Marketing Activity
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- Adspend falls slightly in 2019
- Spending fell 47% in April 2020
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- Figure 43: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on women’s fashion, 2015-20 (Jan-Apr 2020)
- Growing spend on digital
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- Figure 44: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on women’s fashion, by media type, 2019
- M&S launches major womenswear campaign
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- Figure 45: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on women’s fashion, by top companies, 2019
- Figure 46: M&S Per Una campaign, October 2019
- Key campaigns
- Sainsbury’s womenswear campaign focuses on inclusivity
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- Figure 47: Sainsbury’s #TuWorkIt campaign, September 2019
- Nasty Gal’s celebrity model collaboration
- Sosandar launches TV campaign
- John Lewis launches fashion TV ad
- Selfridges launches digital fashion campaign
- COVID-19 will have a big impact on fashion marketing
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
Brand Research
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- Brand map
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- Figure 48: Attitudes towards and usage of selected brands, September 2019-February 2020
- Key brand metrics
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- Figure 49: Key metrics for selected brands, September 2019-February 2020
- Brand attitudes: Next and Seasalt rated highly for customer service
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- Figure 50: Attitudes, by brand, September 2019-February 2020
- Brand personality: PrettyLittleThing seen as fun
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- Figure 51: Brand personality – macro image, September 2019-February 2020
- Boohoo viewed as responsive
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- Figure 52: Brand personality – micro image, September 2019-February 2020
- Brand analysis
- Joules and Seasalt highly recommended
- Joules
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- Figure 53: User profile of Joules, February 2020
- Seasalt
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- Figure 54: User profile of Seasalt, February 2020
- Ted Baker seen as expensive and overrated
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- Figure 55: User profile of Ted Baker, February 2020
- Boohoo and PrettyLittleThing attract more 25-34s
- Boohoo
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- Figure 56: User profile of Boohoo, February 2020
- PrettyLittleThing
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- Figure 57: User profile of PrettyLittleThing, February 2020
- Primark is the favourite brand but seen as unethical
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- Figure 58: User profile of Primark, February 2020
- JD Sports appeals to younger women
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- Figure 59: User profile of JD Sports, February 2020
- H&M seen as good value
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- Figure 60: User profile of H&M, September 2019
- Next seen as a reliable brand
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- Figure 61: User profile of Next, September 2019
- Pep&Co perceived as basic
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- Figure 62: User profile of Pep&Co, February 2020
Space Allocation
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- Methodology
- H&M focuses on personalised stores
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- Figure 63: Men’s, women’s and childrenswear space allocation overview, October 2019
- M&S makes Per Una focus of its stores
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- Figure 64: Men’s, women’s and childrenswear space allocation overview, October 2019
- Primark remains the market leader
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- Figure 65: Leading clothing retailers’ estimated share of the womenswear market, 2019
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Jeans remain popular, but trend for dresses grows
- Big jump in young women shopping online
- Value retailers most popular for fashion
- Price stands out as the biggest priority
- Importance of special occasions
- Issues with sizing
- Growing interest in sustainability
- Importance of versatile clothing
What They Buy
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- Big decline in outerwear purchases in three months to March 2020
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- Figure 66: What fashion items women have bought in the last 3 months, March 2019 and March 2020
- Footwear purchases also fall
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- Figure 67: What fashion items women have bought in the last 3 months, March 2018-March 2020
- Jeans remain popular, but trend for dresses grows
- Rise in young women buying sportswear
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- Figure 68: What clothing items women have bought in the last 3 months, March 2020
- Young women buy most items
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- Figure 69: Number of clothing items bought on last shopping trip, by gender, March 2020
- Most women spent less than £50
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- Figure 70: Amount spent on clothing items on last shopping trip, by gender, March 2020
How They Shop
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- Big jump in young women shopping online
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- Figure 71: How women bought clothing in the last 12 months, December 2019
- In-store shopping on the decline
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- Figure 72: How women bought clothing in the last 12 months, by age, December 2019
Where They Shop
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- Value retailers most popular for fashion
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- Figure 73: Where women bought clothing in the last 12 months, December 2019
- Young women buy clothes from mix of lower and higher-end retailers
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- Figure 74: Women who bought clothing in the last 12 months from value retailers, mid-market high street fashion stores, higher-priced high street fashion store, luxury retailers and independents, by age, December 2019
- Supermarkets popular among over-55s
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- Figure 75: Women who bought clothing in the last 12 months from supermarkets, online-only retailers, department stores and/or sports stores, by age, December 2019
- Older women most brand-loyal
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- Figure 76: Repertoire of types of retailers where women have bought clothing in the last 12 months, December 2019
Purchase Drivers when Buying Womenswear
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- Price stands out as the biggest priority
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- Figure 77: Purchase drivers when buying womenswear from different types of clothing retailers, December 2019
- Older women prioritise quality over price
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- Figure 78: Purchase drivers when buying womenswear from different types of clothing retailers, by generation, December 2019
- Young Millennials most interested in ethics and environment
Motivations for Buying New Clothes
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- Importance of special occasions
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- Figure 79: What encourages women to buy new clothing for themselves, December 2019
- Young women motivated by fashion trends
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- Figure 80: What encourages women to buy new clothing for themselves, by age, December 2019
Attitudes towards Womenswear
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- Issues with sizing
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- Figure 81: Agreement or disagreement with attitudes towards buying womenswear, December 2019
- Use of more diverse models
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- Figure 82: Agreement with attitudes towards buying womenswear, by age, December 2019
- Importance of the shopping experience for Millennials
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- Figure 83: Agreement with attitudes towards buying womenswear, by generation, December 2019
Interest in Innovations
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- Growing interest in sustainability
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- Figure 84: Interest in innovations when shopping for clothes, December 2019
- Millennials drawn to the latest technology
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- Figure 85: Interest in innovations when shopping for clothes, by generation, December 2019
Clothes Shopping Behaviour
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- Importance of versatile clothing
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- Figure 86: Shopping behaviour when buying womenswear, December 2019
CHAID Analysis
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- ABs prefer to spend more on high-quality clothes
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- Figure 87: Womenswear – CHAID – Tree output, January 2020
- Methodology
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- Figure 88: Womenswear – CHAID – Table output, January 2020
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
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- Forecast methodology
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