Clothing is one of the most purchased products of the online retail European global market, according to a report by Hamburg-based business intelligence organisation YStats.com.
According to the report, ‘Europe Clothing B2C ecommerce Market 2015’, clothing is purchased most online in many countries across Europe, including the UK, Russia, Spain, Italy, and Turkey. In selected markets, such as Germany, it tops all other categories in terms of sales volume. Clothing was also the leading category in cross-border B2C ecommerce in Europe in 2014. In Eastern Europe, its share was the highest, reaching half of all cross-border online purchases.
Mobile and omnichannel strategies have become of vital importance for both online and store-based retailers of apparel. While many consumers research clothing and footwear products online, they might eventually buy it online or offline. In Germany, for example, the majority of consumers say they use both online and offline shops to buy clothes and often compare prices between them, according to the report.
In the UK, click-and-collect has become a popular option in shopping for apparel and is actively used by store-based retailers to drive sales. Moreover, in a worldwide ranking, the UK followed right after the Asian countries by share of online shoppers who made their last purchase of clothing via mobile, as of early 2014.
German online clothing retailers Zalando and Bonprix were popular across several countries in Europe, as also were France-based La Redoute and UK-based Asos.
European store-based retailers of apparel such as H&M, C&A, Marks & Spencer and Next were also popular among online shoppers in the UK and Germany. In Russia and Turkey, flash sales online fashion stores such as Kupi VIP and Trendyol were likewise among the most popular websites to buy clothing online.
