While the majority of UK consumers plan to prioritise spending time with friends and family when the lockdown is lifted, 16 per cent aim to spend time shopping for non-food items, with over two-thirds looking forward to purchasing apparel, as they anticipate more social activities and buy into new season trends, according to data analytics firm GlobalData.
GlobalData’s monthly survey of 2,000 nationally representative UK consumers conducted in May found one of the biggest difficulties to be encountered across the clothing sector is the concern regarding fitting rooms, with the government stating that shoppers should not be allowed to try on items in store due to hygiene issues.While the majority of UK consumers plan to prioritise spending time with friends and family when the lockdown is lifted, 16 per cent aim to spend time shopping for non-food items, with over two-thirds looking forward to purchasing apparel, as they anticipate more social activities and buy into new season trends, according to data analytics firm GlobalData.#
As fit and comfort are integral factors when buying new clothing items, this is likely to be a put-off, and may become a barrier to purchase, GlobalData thinks.
Therefore, retailers operating within this sector must identify innovative solutions, such as augmented reality mirrors, or virtual catwalks via their apps, to ease the shopping process and provide more inspiration for consumers, the company said in a press release.
“Although this interest will be encouraging for fashion players whose stores have been closed for weeks, it will not be enough to boost the sector across the full year. Clothing and footwear is still expected to be the sector worst hit by the pandemic with UK spend is forecast to decline 31.6 per cent in 2020,” said Pippa Stephens, associate retail analyst at GlobalData.
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