The world is clamoring for British fashion and clothing, among other things (Image: AdobeStock)

Clothing is the most popular product category for international online shopping, followed by footwear and children’s clothing, underscoring the breadth of business opportunity available to UK-optimized retailers and clothing brands. global scale.

EShopWorld’s (ESW) Global Voices 2021: Cross-Border Shopper Insights survey of more than 22,000 consumers in eleven countries found that one in four shoppers (25%) surveyed had purchased clothes from online websites. outside his country of origin in 2020. This figure has risen to 31%. of all buyers in the Generation Z and Millennial demographics, highlighting the undeniable need for clothing brands to invest in cross-border e-commerce to take advantage of growing international business opportunities.

Shoes were the second most popular category with 15% of shoppers surveyed buying shoes internationally online, and 14% of respondents buying children’s clothing from a website outside of their own country. Overall, the study found that 68% of shoppers had made online purchases outside of their home country in 2020.

“With fashion sales in 2021 falling below 2019 levels of almost 15% 1, UK retailers and brands need to double in outperforming channels and markets where there is a faster recovery and greater demand for consumers, for revenue opportunities ”, explains Martim Avurez Oliveira, Commercial Director, EMEA and APAC.

He adds, “Brands and retailers partnering with ESW have experienced significant cross-border growth over the past year, with total international online sales increasing by 82% in 2020 compared to 2019. This demand shows zero. slowing down, 74% ahead of last year for the first four months of 2021. Increased geographic diversity is imperative to offset declining demand in the UK market, mitigate risk and maximize l addressable audience. “

The top five global markets for cross-border clothing purchases were Singapore (36%), Russia (32%), Chile (31%), France (29%) and Mexico (28%), highlighting the potential for untapped income and growth. opportunities for companies not currently targeting these markets.

“However, the roads to these international markets are littered with companies that lack the digital capabilities, local expertise or capital to take full advantage of these opportunities. To be successful, retailers must have a deep understanding of international markets in order to deliver a localized, secure, customer-centric, and cost-competitive shopping experience if they are to maintain both existing and customer loyalty. attract new ones, ”concludes Oliveira.

Brands that partner with ESW can enter new international markets in as little as six weeks, up to six times faster than if they tried to do so on their own – while still interacting directly with customers and maintaining the ownership of all data collected during the purchasing process. .