Females Get Fashionable In-Store, but Digital Trend Grows

Females blend in-store and digital buying for all retailer types

August 25, 2015 | Retail & Ecommerce | Demographics

Research released in June 2015 by Mintel and Lightspeed GMI estimated that US women’s apparel sales would rise 14.5% between 2014 and 2019, from $121.8 billion to $139.0 billion. While much of that spending will likely take place in-store, recent research suggests female shoppers rely on digital plenty of the time.

When a February 2015 study by Refinery29 asked US female internet users about their attitudes toward offline and digital shopping, three-quarters said they used technology to research what products were made of prior to purchasing—important information, considering that nearly four in 10 Mintel and Lightspeed respondents said good quality was more important than low prices.

A close 74% of Refinery29 respondents said they relied on digital to identify and research items, and then headed to the store to buy. Further, seven in 10 said they preferred to shop via desktop or laptop, and more than two-thirds preferred shopping digitally via any device.

Women polled by Mintel and Lightspeed were more likely to buy in-store than digitally for every retailer type offering both. However, overall, respondents were most likely to mix in-store and digital buys across the board. For example, while value department stores and mass merchandisers were far more physical-only than digital-only, the share of respondents who bought via both channels was higher.