The latest publication from Germany-based online research firm yStats.com, “Europe Clothing B2C E-Commerce Market 2021” offers a comprehensive overview of the online apparel market in Europe. The report provides insights into possible future developments of the industry, based on the forecasted market values, consumers’ preferences and intentions, as well technological trends. Among other findings, the publication reveals that “Clothing/Apparel” is the product category most purchased online cross-border in Russia, as of 2021.
Clothing B2C E-Commerce sales in Europe are predicted to gradually accelerate over the years, following a boost in 2020
A significant share of countries in Europe experienced a boost in E-Commerce sales in the clothing industry, especially after the COVID-19 health crisis occurred in 2020. In the United Kingdom, namely, the growth rate of the textile, clothing and footwear B2C E-Commerce is expected to increase strongly in 2021, due to the imposed lockdowns in the country. In Germany, B2C E-Commerce sales in “apparel” experienced the highest year-on-year growth in Q1 2021 compared to the same period last year. In Turkey, a significant share (over 80%) of consumers surveyed in 2020 claimed to have shopped online for “clothing” items. In Ukraine, the acceleration of online shopping for “clothing” products is projected to gradually increase over the next several years, reaching over half a billion U.S. dollars in B2C E-Commerce sales value by 2023.
“Fashion and apparel” segment in most European countries was the top product segment to shop for online in 2020
When it came to online shopping in various categories, in most European countries, consumers’ top choice fell on “fashion and apparel” sector, and in the rest, it was among the top three. In the United Kingdom, “apparel” was the second top preference when shopping online in the future, as of an October 2020 survey, as well as in Germany. In Spain, this product segment led others. Whereas, in Russia, “clothing & shoes” was the dominant choice when shopping online cross-border, in domestic B2C E-Commerce sales, “clothes & shoes” was the second big category in 2020.
Online-only retailers are the leading choice for purchasing apparel online in European countries in 2021
Online-only retailers were commonly used across Europe to shop online for clothing items, as of 2020 and 2021. For instance, in Germany and the UK, as per a February 2021 survey, online-only retailers, such as Zalando, led the choice of shopping websites. In Ukraine, the leading fashion retail website was the local one, SHAFA, followed by domestic merchants Klubok and Kloomba.
