In fact, this is why books were one of the first categories to move online, while apparel took much longer. Returns are unlikely with book purchases—you already have a good idea of what you’re getting, and it’s one-size-fits-all—whereas getting the right fit is paramount with apparel.

Three in five US internet users say they've purchased clothes, shoes or accessories online in the past month, according to an April 2019 eMarketer survey conducted by Bizrate Insights. That figure climbs to 68% for females as well as younger consumers (ages 18 to 34).

Consumers have become more socially conscious in the ways they shop. At the same time, the notoriously unsustainable practice of fast fashion is thriving.

Clothing and apparel retailers will see steep declines in 2020 as spending on discretionary items comes to a near halt amid the ongoing pandemic. We forecast a drop of nearly 22% in 2020 for total sales of apparel and accessories, which equates to a year-over-year loss of over $100 billion.

eMarketer principal analyst Andrew Lipsman, research analyst Daniel Keyes and senior forecasting analyst at Insider Intelligence Cindy Liu discuss what it will take to encourage Americans to return to stores, the end for the mall and what will happen to brick-and-mortar sales this year. They then talk about whether clothing rental is over, why Etsy keeps surging and DoorDash Storefront.

[Those segments include] clothing, consumer electronics, home and garden, beauty and personal care, and sporting goods. As an example, both D2C brands and traditional fashion and beauty brands have relied on the major marketplaces such as Zalando to reach a wider audience base over the past year.

This year, “retailtainment” will remain at the heart of the festivities, with livestreamed fashion shows and pre-event galas. Alibaba, as well as other major players—JD.com, Pinduoduo, and Suning—have secured partnerships for their shows to be broadcasted on TV and streamed online amid continued social distancing measures. All Eyes on Tech.

Direct-to-consumer (D2C) brand Cuts Clothing has grown a lot since it first launched in 2016 on Kickstarter. “Since day one, we have been focused on making premium minimalist shirts for the modern man,” said Steven Borrelli, CEO and co-founder of Cuts.

Today marks a big milestone at Insider Intelligence: We launched our new platform, unifying our two brands (eMarketer and Business Insider Intelligence) into a single online experience and expanded our Financial Services coverage. We also just published a report that’s been long in the making--and it happens to be our very first under the new brand.

The apparel retailer will discontinue its partnership of more than 20 years with Synchrony when their contract ends in April 2022, costing Synchrony one of its five biggest retail card partners, per The Wall Street Journal. Gap’s portfolio accounts for approximately 5% of Synchrony’s loans receivable and includes about 11 million open accounts between its private label and cobranded cards.

This summer, Nike will roll out its latest augmented reality (AR) initiative, Nike Fit. While the feature is another move toward independence and away from wholesalers, it could also help to alleviate the biggest hassles of online shopping when it comes to clothes and accessories.

We spoke with Grégoire Baret, general manager of omnichannel experience at shoe retailer Aldo, about how his team works in collaboration with IT to roll out a new marketing technology.

Alex Jennison, ecommerce marketing manager at apparel company Mad Engine, whose brands include LRG Clothing and Neff Headwear, uses SMS messages promoting new product launches, promotions, in-person events, and automated messaging sequences, as well. Sam Shames, co-founder and COO of wearables startup Embr Labs, deploys SMS largely to convert abandoned carts in the lower funnel.

TechStyle Fashion Group, a global fashion retailer that operates membership-based direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands—including ShoeDazzle, JustFab, Kate Hudson’s Fabletics and Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty—has become one of the fast-growing retailers with more than 5.5 million active members worldwide since it launched a decade ago.

A favorite choice of gift-givers this holiday season? New clothes. The apparel category had its biggest year-over-year performance since 2010.

eMarketer principal analyst Andrew Lipsman joins us to discuss the latest in clothing subscriptions. Why are retailers like Urban Outfitters getting into this business? What consumer trends are fueling these companies’ decisions? And what the heck is a “rundle”?

The possibility of having to return something is dissuading consumers from buying certain products online.

For Alexandra Waldman, launching Universal Standard was a no-brainer. She struggled to find clothes that fit her size-20 frame—even something as simple as a T-shirt that didn’t have a puppy or a "live, laugh, love" affirmation on it.

eMarketer's "Do You Have a Second?" is a mini-podcast that offers a quick hit of the latest digital data. Today, we’re talking about online returns for the holiday season, apparel discounting over the Thanksgiving shopping period and consumers' resolutions for the New Year.