People increasingly buying clothing online: Reports

31 Jul '13

3 min read

More and more people across the world are turning to online purchase of clothing and accessories, to save on time and mobility expenses or to browse through a wider range of products across different brands and labels.

On the other hand, companies are looking ahead to the online space as an effective means of gaining more global recognition and enhancing their clientele and sales in overseas markets at an economical cost.

According to the “Global Clothing B2C E-Commerce Report 2013” released by Hamburg-based secondary market Research company yStats.com, clothing tops the list of items purchased online across the globe.

Talking about Europe, online clothing sales grew by 20 percent during last year, while in Germany it grew by about 33 percent over the previous year. Among the countries in Eastern Europe, online clothing sales in Russia grew by over 40 percent, totalling to around one-fifth of total online sales.

In the Asia-Pacific region, the apparel segment topped online shopping list in Japan and South Korea, last year. In China too, this segment is growing at a double-digit growth rate, with female buyers predominantly ruling the market.

In Australia, apparel turned out to be the second most bought product in online sales during 2012.

In the US, apparel and accessories was ranked as the second highest selling item in online sales during 2012, and is expected to post a double digit growth during the current year.

In Brazil, clothing was the fourth most popular segment in online sales last year, while in Latin American countries like Peru, Venezuela, Colombia and Uruguay too, it ranks high in popularity.

A separate study undertaken by the Free Market for Latin America shows that online clothing and accessories sales in Latin America grew by 55 percent during first half of the current year, as compared to 2011.

As per the survey, fashion and accessories items are the 3rd most sought after item by Colombians in online shopping and hence several companies have already entered or are gearing up to enter this online space to make the most out of this new opportunity.

In order to boost their online sales, nowadays companies are trying to add more and more attributes to their online sales like trials at home, alterations, and exchange and refund policies to help buyers leave back their zeal for shopping in a mall or big outlets.

Brands are also trying to provide utmost details of their pieces and even facilitate comparisons online to attract more buyers.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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