Market Overview: Apparel—Changing Consumer Attitudes Drive E-Commerce and Socially Engaged Business

Our Market Overview for apparel offers a data-rich analysis of the global clothing market, with more detailed metrics for the US, the UK and China. Data points included in this report include apparel market sizes for the US, the UK and China; e-commerce penetration rates for the US, the UK and China; market-share data for apparel brands and retailers; channels-of-distribution data; and, consumer-survey data showing where US shoppers buy clothing and footwear.

In addition, our analysts offer their perspectives on the fashion market in 2020 and further ahead. For years we’ve watched as forces such as the rise of social media, the increasing importance of sustainability and the emergence of omnichannel shopping have shifted the apparel retail landscape. These trends are not new, but have reached a new stage of maturity.

This report looks at the trends shaping clothing and footwear retail, including: 

• The more digitally connected (and more digitally reliant) fashion consumer. 
• The more socially and environmentally aware clothing shopper. 
• The apparel consumer accustomed to being able to find any product at any time.