One in four shoppers seek clothes online twice a month

More than a quarter of people in the UK shop for clothes online at least every two weeks, while almost a third shop online every 30 days at a minimum, a report has revealed.

Online shopping for clothes is now commonplace across the UK.

People aged between 35 and 44 years old are the most frequent shoppers with as many as 10 per cent admitting that they shop for clothes online every day, while almost a quarter of 24 to 34-year-olds search for their next purchases on a weekly basis.

The poll of 2,000 people by the Fashion Retail Academy showed that there was no divide along gender lines as 28 per cent of both men and women said they shop for clothes online at least every two weeks. However, more men buy clothes online every day than women — five per cent for men vs three per cent for women.

Convenience was cited as the number one reason why people shop for fashion online, followed by the ability to shop 24/7 and the lower price options. The ability to shop at any time of the day was more important to younger people, with 69 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds saying this was the main reason why they shopped online compared with just half of 45 to 54-year-olds and 38 per cent of people aged over 50.

Yet despite the widespread popularity of online shopping, 63 per cent of people said they had bought an inexpensive item online only to find it looks nothing like the picture shown on the retailer’s website.

Lee Lucas, principal and chief executive of the Fashion Retail Academy, said: “Online shops are always open for business, and that makes it incredibly convenient for Brits who want to get their hands on the latest fashions but don’t have the time to visit the high street.

“The fact that the biggest group of daily shoppers 
were aged 35 to 44 suggests that Brits with busy work schedules, a school run and children to look after, are most keen to embrace the con­venience offered by online retailers.”

He added: “However, while you know exactly what you are getting when you buy a TV or book online, it is not always possible to tell the exact fabric or colour when it comes to clothes. One benefit of retailers who have physical stores as well as an online presence is that items are less likely to be of poor quality.

“They are being picked up and handled by shoppers every day and that acts as a bit of an insurance policy for the shopper who goes straight to online.”