UK fashion shoppers' online focus grows - Royal Mail report

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jan 12, 2018

UK consumers who shop online already are becoming more online-focused than ever and are increasing the amounts they buy via webstores, a new report shows.

And the report also said that the average online British shopper spends £40 each month on clothes while 55% of female shoppers now buy clothes online.

The study, part of the bigger Royal Mail Delivery Matters report, shows that the proportion of money being spent online has increased year-on-year, even though shoppers are reining-in their spending generally.

But that consumer caution has actually helped boost the online channel as consumers view it as a source of bargains.

Some 54% of shoppers said they go online for the choice offered, but almost as many (53%) cited price comparison as a key reason, while convenience is also important for 49%.

Over a three-month period, the 1,500 consumers who were surveyed also said that they made 80% of their non-food purchases online, up from 74% year-on-year.

So clearly, while groceries still tend to be bought face to face, and while some people still only shop in physical stores, those who have been won over to the web are spending ever more time and money there as each year passes.

When it comes to shopping for fashion, as mentioned, the average online clothes shopper spends £40 a month and shops online for clothes or footwear at least once a month. While more than half of female shoppers buy clothes online, only 33% of male shoppers do. 

The report said Amazon (32%) and eBay (22%) are the most popular online clothing stores, with M&S and Next (both 11%) the best performers from the high street. The bestselling online clothing items are tops (26%), T-shirts (24%) and trainers (21%). 

Consumers with children in the household are likely to shop more often for clothes or footwear than those without kids.

It’s interesting too that, with delivery very important to online shoppers, one in four now pays for delivery subscriptions, which allow unlimited next day delivery on all orders within a pre-paid period. The most common retailer that online shoppers have a delivery subscription with is Amazon (76%).