Online clothing sales in the UK set to surpass in-store sales

Next year, online sales in the UK clothing industry will surpass sales in physical stores for the first time, making the UK the first country in Europe where the majority of clothing purchases take place online.

According to a report jointly released by Retail Economics and law firm Eversheds Sutherland titled The Future of the European Clothing Industry , during the COVID-19 pandemic , although total clothing transactions in the UK fell by £9.6 billion, online sales increased by £2.7 billion, accounting for almost one-fifth of total sales.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the development of online business. According to forecasts from Retail Economics , online clothing sales in the UK will exceed in-store sales in 2022, accounting for 52% of the entire clothing industry , three years earlier than previously predicted .

More than a third of UK shoppers surveyed said they would not visit stores as often as before the pandemic, compared with about a quarter of shoppers in other parts of Europe , according to the survey .

Analysts warn that if no measures are taken to address this new trend in the clothing industry , British offline clothing retailers will face a sales gap of £14.5 billion by the middle of this century . In the European market , the average loss of offline clothing retailers will reach £6.8 billion per year between 2021 and 2025 .

The report also investigated the importance that shoppers place on offline stores . The results showed that most British consumers believe that offline clothing stores are irreplaceable. Nearly a third of British consumers said they had bought clothing online after trying it on in an offline clothing store . Another 66% of British consumers said they might use in-store tablets or other interactive digital screens to start browsing and ordering online in the store.

When talking about the future of physical clothing stores, 39% of British consumers said that they would be more likely to visit clothing stores if they could provide free click-and-collect and return services. Another 35% of respondents said that they hope offline clothing stores can add more personalized shopping experiences, such as personal styling or customized product recommendations , which will make them more likely to visit offline stores .

UK Market

Clothing Industry