Where Consumers Shop for Apparel and Footwear

September 2024

Despite the easing of inflation, the fashion industry remains impacted by supply chain disruptions, high interest rates and geopolitical uncertainties, leading to modest global growth and uneven performances by region, category and channels. E-commerce is anticipated to outperform offline channels, but these remain crucial due to the unique advantages of physical spaces. Market players are thus building their omnichannel capabilities and investing in AI to enhance the shopping experience.

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Key findings

Macroeconomic factors create recovery concerns

Despite new waves of COVID-19 that resulted in lockdowns and other restrictions across markets for part of 2021, global sales of apparel and footwear grew by 12% y-o-y in constant terms. The industry is set to grow over its 2019 size by 2024, but as China began its most extensive COVID-19 lockdown in two years in March 2022, followed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, inflation rates are at an all-time high, resulting in an uneven and fragile recovery.

Asia Pacific dominates apparel and footwear

Asia Pacific leads apparel and footwear in terms of value sales, at USD663 billion in 2021, and accounts for 39% of all global spending on apparel and footwear. The region’s dominance is driven by China which accounts for 64% of all sales in the region. Its large population and highly aspirational consumer base have been key to its high share. India is another market that has a strong contribution and high potential to aid the region’s continued high share.

Rise in online sales continues as new shopping habits stick

COVID-19 has undeniably served as a catalyst for a stronger move towards digitalisation and direct-to-consumer (D2C) sales. Backed by innovation and rising access to technology, this has changed the way retailers deliver products and services. Consumers have also continued to warm to the thought of shopping online for convenience when mobility is restricted, quicker deliveries by online retailers and the introduction of new offerings such as click and collect.

Home-centric lifestyles benefit sportswear

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Scope
Key findings
Growing again, but still faces limited demand due to ongoing inflationary pressures
Footwear outperforms apparel and sportswear for the first time in five years
Slow recovery across regions: A challenging path to pre-pandemic levels
After the boom in 2020, the share of e-commerce is now stabilising
The success of CRZ Yoga shows how “dupe culture” is gaining ground in Asia Pacific
Global e-commerce stabilises, with growth opportunities in Asia Pacific and MEA
Traditional in-store shopping advantages are no longer enough to draw consumers back
Apparel and footwear specialists strengthen their lead in offline retail in 2023
Sports goods stores: the fastest growing offline channel over 2018-2023
Apparel and footwear specialists have fully recovered to their pre-pandemic levels
Off-price apparel and footwear specialists thrive, while fast fashion faces challenges
Uniqlo launches its inaugural Neighborhood concept store in Indonesia in 2023
Zara unveils its second largest store globally in Portugal
Department stores show signs of growth in 2023, though still below pre-pandemic levels
US department stores remain leaders, though their dominance has diminished
Hudson’s Bay Co, the parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue agrees to acquire Neiman Marcus
THE BOX Chaowai is revitalising the traditional department store model in China
Sports goods stores lead pandemic recovery and compete effectively with e-commerce
Leading players strengthen their dominance in the sports goods category
Decathlon opens 12th store in Colombia: the first with RFID technology in the country
Under Armour launches its “UA Rewards” loyalty programme in the US
Private label outperforms the broader apparel and footwear market, amid rising costs
North America and Western Europe accounted for 80% of all private label sales in 2023
Economic pressures boost private label growth in key Western markets
Walmart elevates its fashion game: Introducing the Walmart Style Tour and more
E-commerce continues to see steady growth across all product categories
From growth to enhancement: New trends driving e-commerce development
E-commerce increasingly saturated in mature markets, but opportunities still exist
Shein goes omnichannel in the Middle East and launches more pop-ups in the region
Marketplaces find their place as top players, while department stores have dropped
Eastern Europe has untapped share potential, while China shows strong value potential
Transforming fashion online shopping: The impact of AI on customer experience
Zara embraces livestream shopping in China and plan to expand to UK and US
Zalando adds AI fashion assistant to enable consumers to shop by occasions
Thailand: Lazada uses AI to create a customer-centric fashion destination with LazLook
The industry is poised for slow global growth as inflationary pressures persist
Southeast Asia, Latin America and Middle East are set to fuel apparel and footwear growth
E-commerce to maintain lead over apparel and footwear market despite slowing growth
Key takeaways

Apparel and Footwear

Apparel is the aggregation of clothing and footwear. This dataset covers retail sales of apparel through both store-based retailers and non-store retailers. Excludes black market sales (i.e. untaxed, generated within informal retailing)and duty free sales (travel retail). Items must be new when sold to the consumer; second-hand/used items are excluded. Antique and/or vintage clothing and footwear is also excluded.

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