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May 27 2008
Lingerie lingers longer
The latest figures from the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index reveals that poor weather conditions appear to boost online clothing sales whilst driving people away from the high street
Snow and rain this April appeared to have encouraged online shoppers to spend nearly £326 million on clothes and online footwear sales saw a significant growth in sales of 20%. These figures drew a sharp contrast to sales on the high street – The British Retail Consortium reported that clothing and footwear fell further to their worst for at least 8 years.
This trend was further backed by the figures in July 2007 – the clothing, footwear and accessories sector shot up by 85% to over £90 million during the week of 16th July 2007 when the UK experienced torrential downpours, hail and thunder. The UK also saw flood warnings this same week and the Index reported a dramatic increase in online sales for footwear of 165.
Even in light of the looming credit crunch, the online clothing sector is still growing at a high rate. Of notable interest, shoppers are turning to the internet when making more personal underwear purchases – the Index has seen online year-on-year sales for lingerie rise by 72%.
According to Julia Reynolds, Chief Executive of Figleaves.com: “The lean and fit will survive the credit crunch. Our experience tells us that retailers with strong brand values and a clear target customer will stand out during an unsure economic environment. To introduce changes in fashion seasons online, e-tailers need to communicate with customers what’s new and use various marketing methods, for example email alone is no longer sufficient.”
Anthoula Madden, Vice President at Capgemini UK’s Consumer Products and Retail Team said: “The clothing sector is clearly seeing continued growth in online sales as shoppers appear to be avoiding the bad weather outdoors on the high street. Our retail clients have continued to report strong online sales, even in light of the unsure economic environment. It is clear that online is a key survival channel for traditional high street retailers to ride out poor weather periods and tough trading conditions.”
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