Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Continued growth in the UK fashion industry
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- Figure 1: Consumer spending on clothing, footwear and accessories, 2014-24
- Online set to account for a third of fashion spending
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- Figure 2: Online consumer spending on clothing, footwear and accessories, 2014-24
- Companies and brands
- Merging the offline and offline experience
- Social media becomes integral to the purchasing journey
- The consumer
- Online equals store-based purchasing
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- Figure 3: How fashion items were bought in the last 12 months, April 2019
- Stores influence online shopping, online influences store purchasing
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- Figure 4: What consumers did before they bought fashion in the last 12 months, April 2019
- Most are reluctant to acknowledge where they look for fashion inspiration
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- Figure 5: Who consumers look to for fashion inspiration, April 2019
- Delivery and returns influence where people shop
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- Figure 6: What would make consumers choose one retailer over another when buying fashion, April 2019
- Existing wardrobe important to consumers
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- Figure 7: Fashion shopping behaviours, April 2019
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Online vs offline in the British fashion industry
- The facts
- The implications
- Who are the real fashion influencers?
- The facts
- The implications
- Meeting the needs of an ever-more demanding consumer
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Spending on fashion remains robust
- Online growth continues to outpace the wider market
- Ongoing shifts in where people are shopping
- Rising technology usage influences shopping journey
Market Size and Forecast
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- Demand for fashion buoyed by clothing
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- Figure 8: Consumer spending on clothing, footwear and accessories, 2014-24
- Figure 9: Consumer spending on clothing, footwear and accessories, at constant and current prices, 2014-24
- Forecast methodology
Online Market Size and Forecast
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- Growth in the online market set to slow
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- Figure 10: Online consumer spending on clothing, footwear and accessories, 2014-24
- Figure 11: Online consumer spending on clothing, footwear and accessories, at constant and current prices, 2014-24
- Online continues to capture a greater share of spending
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- Figure 12: Online as a percentage of all spending on clothing, footwear and accessories, 2015-19
- Forecast methodology
Market Drivers
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- Internet access continues to rise
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- Figure 13: Household internet access, 2009-18
- Smartphone ownership is changing the way we shop
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- Figure 14: Technology products personally owned, January 2019
- Changing social media platform preferences
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- Figure 15: Social and media networks used in last 3 months, March 2017 and March 2019
- Print magazine circulation falling
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- Figure 16: Types of magazines read in the last 6 months, October 2018
- Retail footfall remains weak…
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- Figure 17: Change in UK retail footfall, by location, May 2016-April 2019
- …but most consumers still visit the high street
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- Figure 18: Retail locations visited in the last 6 months, April 2019
- An aging population will shape the shopping journey
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- Figure 19: Trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2016-26
- Figure 20: Breakdown of trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2016-26
- Consumer confidence remains robust
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- Figure 21: Consumer financial confidence, January 2016-March 2019
Companies and Brands – What You Need to Know
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- Social shopping gains momentum
- In-store technology merges online and offline
- Aiding the online shopping journey
- The evolution of personal styling
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- The rise of alternative shopping channels
- Shopping gets social
- New ways to reward loyalty
- The reimagining of physical stores
- The line between online and offline continues to blur
- Additional services add value
- Localised store concepts
- Using online to drive footfall in-store
- Changes in the delivery and returns proposition
- Sizing and fitting technology continues to evolve
- Try before you buy gains momentum
- New ways to aid brand and product discovery
- Personal styling becomes more sophisticated
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Online penetration is high
- Most shop using both channels
- One in four looks to their peers for fashion advice
- Almost half would choose a retailer because of their delivery
- How consumers decide what to buy is changing
What They Buy and How They Shop for Fashion
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- Clothing remains the most purchased product
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- Figure 22: What fashion items were bought in the last 12 months, April 2019
- As many shopping online as in-store
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- Figure 23: How fashion items were bought in the last 12 months, April 2019
- App usage high amongst fashion consumers
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- Figure 24: How fashion items were bought via smartphones/tablets in the last 12 months, April 2019
- Home delivery is favoured by online shoppers
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- Figure 25: How fashion items bought online were received in the last 12 months, April 2019
- Accessory buyers prefer online channel
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- Figure 26: What fashion items were bought in the last 12 months, by how they were bought, April 2019
What They Do Before Buying Fashion
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- One in three visits a store first
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- Figure 27: What consumers did before they bought fashion in the last 12 months, April 2019
- Women more involved in pre-purchase activities
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- Figure 28: What consumers did before they bought fashion in the last 12 months, by gender, April 2019
- Young also more likely to participate
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- Figure 29: What consumers did before they bought fashion in the last 12 months, by age, April 2019
- Online shoppers do more ahead of purchase
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- Figure 30: How fashion items were bought in the last 12 months, by what they did pre-purchase, April 2019
Fashion Influencers
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- Most are inspired by people they know
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- Figure 31: Who consumers look to for fashion inspiration, April 2019
- Men more likely to look to celebrities
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- Figure 32: Who consumers look to for fashion inspiration, by gender, April 2019
- The importance of influencers in the youth fashion market
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- Figure 33: Who consumers look to for fashion inspiration, by age, April 2019
- Online shoppers more influenced by others
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- Figure 34: How fashion items were bought in the last 12 months, by fashion inspiration, April 2019
- Almost a quarter get inspiration from more than one type of influencer
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- Figure 35: Repertoire of who consumers look to for fashion inspiration, April 2019
Important Factors When Choosing Where to Shop
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- Offering a range of delivery options is now integral
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- Figure 36: What would make consumers choose one retailer over another when buying fashion, April 2019
- Women want easy returns, but retailers want women to return less
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- Figure 37: What would make consumers choose one retailer over another when buying fashion, April 2019
- Finance options and delivery passes resonate with young shoppers
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- Figure 38: What would make consumers choose one retailer over another when buying fashion, April 2019
- Reward schemes are a priority for in-store shoppers
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- Figure 39: How fashion items were bought in the last 12 months, by important factors, April 2019
Fashion Buying Behaviours
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- Most consumers don’t buy immediately
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- Figure 40: Fashion shopping behaviours – purchase considerations, April 2019
- Search engines are key to discovery
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- Figure 41: Fashion shopping behaviours – the shopping journey and product discovery, April 2019
- CHAID analysis
- Methodology
- A demand for lifestyle-based fashion recommendations from fashion experts
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- Figure 42: Purchasing Journey for Fashion – CHAID – Tree output, April 2019
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- Figure 43: Purchasing Journey for Fashion – CHAID – Table output, April 2019
The Perfect Shopping Experience
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- Methodology
- Added value from customer service
- Not so pushy staff
- For some the store experience is everything…
- …but for others the devil is in the detail online
- A fit for everyone
- Variety is the spice of life
- A speedy service
- Bargain hunters
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
- Additional consumer data
- Pre-purchase activities
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- Figure 44: How fashion items were bought in the last 12 months, by what they did pre-purchase, April 2019
- Fashion influencers
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- Figure 45: How fashion items were bought in the last 12 months, by fashion inspiration, April 2019
- Important factors
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- Figure 46: How fashion items were bought in the last 12 months, by important factors, April 2019
- Consumer research methodology
Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
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- Best- and worst-case forecast
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- Figure 47: Consumer spending on clothing, footwear and accessories, 2014-24
- Figure 48: Online consumer spending on clothing, footwear and accessories, 2014-24
- Forecast methodology
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