Consumer spending on clothing has declined during the COVID-19 period, according to the survey conducted in the first quarter of this year involving 1,000 people worldwide. However, spending on clothing is expected to increase by 10 percent in 2022 compared to 2021. However, planned spending is still 3 percent below pre-COVID-19 2019 spending levels.
Also, nearly a third of respondents expect to spend less on clothing in 2022 than they did in 2019. 52 percent of consumers cite this as a reason they are still going out less than they did before COVID-19. They are followed by those who give the reason for reducing their spending outside of basic needs, at 39 percent.
Gökhan Kaçmaz, KPMG’s Consumer Goods & Retail Industry Leader in Turkey said in his review, “Online channels are increasing their share in the apparel category. However, there is also a recession caused by inflationary pressures on local household spending. The sector offsets domestic consumers’ falling purchasing power in the apparel category with tourists’ purchases. In fact, TURKSTAT data showing that spending on clothing and shoes by foreign visitors reached $880 million in the first quarter of this year, breaking the all-time record, confirms this situation.
We now favor the internet for our clothing shopping
Again, consumers of all ages and income groups began to shop more online for clothing during the COVID-19 period, according to the same study. While the rate of those who said they shopped online for this category before the pandemic was 33 percent, that rate rose to 48 percent with the pandemic. This means that almost every second person now buys clothing online.
Most consumers who shopped online in the last three months also reported that they shopped through the online channels of the physical stores they previously shopped at, rather than from new online retailers. Compared to before COVID-19, the frequency of purchases in brick-and-mortar stores has decreased at all retailers in the past year. This situation is expected to continue for the next three months.
Quality has been replaced by convenience
Although quality and price in clothing according to the survey, quality is more important during COVID-19 lost as more and more consumers prioritize convenience and delivery time. While the importance attached to quality and price was 62 percent and 58 percent, respectively, before COVID-19, these rates declined to 57 percent and 52 percent, respectively, during the COVID-19 period. On the other hand, the importance of ease of purchase increased from 12 to 20 percent in the same period.