Online clothes shopping hits new high

Nearly nine out of 10 UK consumers now shop for clothes

on the internet, a new high according to new research from Cotton Council International published today. The report states that 44 per cent of Brits go online at least once a month or more to buy clothes, with a committed 3 per cent doing this daily, this is second only to groceries (50%) in terms of the nation's shopping habits.

Two years ago only 3 per cent of the nation bought most of their clothes online, this has increased to 13 per cent, showing the trend that consumers are moving away from chain and speciality stores in order to stock their wardrobes, which is down from 43 per cent to 31.5 per cent.

The biggest trends showcased in the research are that 42 per cent of consumers now use the internet to compare products and prices across stores, and almost 60 per cent of consumers still preferring to spend on better more on better quality items. In addition, the report also found that a third go online just to browse the latest styles.

Stephanie Thiers-Ratcliffe, International Marketing Manager, Cotton Council International comments: "Our research reveals that there has been a marked uplift for people going online to research and buy clothing, but not at the expense of quality.

“This trend has seen retailers across the board take more of an interest in their online clothing offering - ensuring the customer experience, delivered both on and offline is second to none.”