What is the demand for online fashion shopping in the United States? What are the characteristics of consumer behavior?

It is learned that DigitalCommerce360 and BizrateInsights conducted a survey of 1,003 American fashion online shoppers in June 2023, and recently released the survey results. The survey included consumers' online shopping demand for fashion categories, purchase influencing factors, purchase channels, purchase behavior characteristics, etc.

Understanding consumer demand: Online shopping is growing, and Amazon is leading the way

The survey shows that compared with the same period last year, 70% of consumers have purchased the same or more clothing accessories online this year. At the same time, 34% of people have reduced their offline clothing consumption, which shows that the trend of online shopping for fashion categories is strengthening.

Among all major online retailers, Amazon is the most popular place for people to buy fashion products, accounting for 74%. The survey shows that 25% of the respondents purchased fashion products in the past year, and 26% or more were purchased through Amazon.

Department stores also play an important role, with 47% shopping in this channel. Other important channels include brands (37%), vertical retailers (36%), and Walmart (46%) and Target (32%). For consumers who are more price-sensitive, warehouse clubs and discount retailers are more likely to be used. The penetration rate of second-hand retailers is only 20%, but it may increase in the next few years.

Driving consumer purchasing decisions: These factors are worth paying attention to

Surveys show that fashion consumers are generally very loyal, with 50% of consumers saying they have brands or retailers they like and buy from frequently. Therefore, in the clothing category, it is very important to build customer loyalty.

In terms of factors that influence purchasing decisions, 20% of respondents would choose to buy when there is a discount, and they would pay attention to the retailer's price reduction strategy. Among those who switch from physical stores to online shopping, 25% choose to shop online because the store is out of stock.

In terms of shopping website functions, 56% of people value functions that help select products, such as size, color or type; product comparison tools are also important, with 46% of people like to compare products; size tools are also valued by many people; and 13% of people think that product customization functions are important.

Other important factors include that 66% of respondents believe that reviews and ratings are the most important, 34% of respondents like to see buyer show pictures, and 54% of consumers believe that the picture zoom function is also important; most people believe that accurate delivery time is an important feature that the website should provide.

Winning customer loyalty: Changes in customer brand preferences

The survey shows that consumers' preferences for fashion brands have changed significantly in recent years. 36% of people believe that a brand with a diverse audience can arouse their interest more; 34% of respondents believe that the brand's story and history play an important role; 25% of respondents believe that the brand's sustainability is also important; and 17% of people pay attention to charitable donations, social and political views (17%), and diversity stance (16%).

Regarding sustainability, only 21% of consumers said they were looking for retailers with a sense of sustainability, 9% of them had already purchased from them, and only 12% were willing to pay extra. The survey showed that half of the respondents cared about sustainability, but they were not willing to pay extra.

Reaching consumers accurately: trying on clothes in physical stores and online service channels

The survey shows that although sales of fashion categories in physical stores are declining, 63% of respondents believe that trying on clothes in physical stores is still important; 59% like to touch the products in person; 56% say they would choose to buy in physical stores because they don’t want to wait; 31% also believe that shopping in physical stores is easier to return.

Therefore, physical store channels still play an important role for fashion consumers.

When shopping online, many consumers choose to avoid contacting customer service through the brand's official website. The survey shows that email and in-store interactions are the touchpoints most likely to drive conversions, accounting for 22% each, followed by calling the customer service department (19%) and chatting with customer service online (17%).

40% of respondents purchase clothing and accessories on social media platforms, while 33% do not use social media during the purchasing process, which also shows that it will take time to achieve revenue growth through social media platforms.

Editor✎ Ashley/

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