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Published
Aug 24, 2016
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85.6% of shoppers want to buy clothes that can be worn straight away

Published
Aug 24, 2016

According to a Verdict clothing survey, 85.6% of clothing shoppers in the UK like to buy clothing that they can wear straightaway for the current weather.


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And more than half, 51.4%, don't like to buy clothing well in advance for the season ahead - like buying summer clothes in March or April, when the retailers launch their new S/S collections. Nivindya Sharma, Senior Analyst, Clothing & Footwear, argues that it's "increasingly evident that traditional buying cycles are no longer in sync with the way consumers like to shop for clothing."

Sharma says there are increasing signs that shoppers' buying habits are now changing and that as customers prefer to buy across seasons, seasonal product drops are becoming more and more irrelevant. "While unpredictable weather patterns have rendered seasonal drops obsolete, social media has shortened fashion cycles, and created a see now, buy now, wear now mentality while generating constant desire for new products," she says,

The majority of clothing shoppers, 75.6%, said they feel that clothing retailers offer enough choice of transeasonal clothing. This means the problem may have more to do with retailers’ marketing and merchandising strategies, which have traditionally been aligned towards peak seasons.

Sharma adds: "To ensure sales are less vulnerable to unpredictable weather patterns, retailers must ensure instore and online merchandising is reflective of the current weather, and window displays showcase outfits that can be worn straightaway, to draw shoppers in and drive impulse purchases." She concludes that new trends or seasonal events, like back to school, should be used as the focus for marketing strategies, rather than new seasons, which is currently the default marketing focus on the high street.

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