Apparel Retail Industry Statistics

Footwear prices rose 1.7% over the year ended December 2023 [1]

20.1% of U.S. consumers bought clothing from Target in the prior 12 months [2]

29% of consumers said they delayed fashion purchases due to higher prices [3]

34% of consumers said loyalty rewards influence where they buy clothing [4]

33% of Prime Day shoppers said they purchased apparel because discounts were deeper than usual [5]

40% of consumers said they cut back spending on apparel to afford essentials [6]

61% of U.S. consumers prefer to shop for apparel in-store rather than online [7]

38% of apparel shoppers have bought apparel after seeing influencer content [8]

E-commerce accounted for 22.0% of total U.S. retail sales in Q4 2023 [9]

U.S. online sales of apparel, accessories, and footwear increased 4% in 2023 [10]

Global online sales grew 3% year over year during the 2023 holiday season [11]

Apparel was one of the categories with the highest online discounts at 23% in Cyber Week 2023 [12]

U.S. online apparel sales on Amazon reached $47.5 billion in 2023 [13]

Shein’s share of the U.S. fast-fashion market rose to 40% in 2022 [14]

Shein’s valuation reached $66 billion in its 2023 funding round [15]

Shein’s U.S. monthly active users were 27 million in January 2024 [16]

54% of retail executives said their organizations were not prepared to manage technology disruption [17]

For every $100 in returned merchandise accepted, retailers lost $13.70 to return fraud in 2023 [18]

The global secondhand apparel market was projected to reach $350 billion by 2028 [19]

User penetration in the global apparel market was projected at 29.5% in 2024 [20]

The U.S. apparel market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 1.96% from 2024 to 2028 [21]

China’s apparel market revenue was forecast at US$314.50 billion in 2024 [22]

India’s apparel market revenue was forecast at US$101.40 billion in 2024 [23]

Inditex net income reached €5.38 billion in fiscal 2023 [24]

H&M Group profit after financial items totaled SEK 14.5 billion in 2023 [25]

Fast Retailing operating profit reached ¥381.0 billion in fiscal 2023 [26]

Gap Inc. comparable sales increased 2% in fiscal 2023 [27]

PVH revenue totaled $9.22 billion in 2023 [28]

Ralph Lauren revenue was $6.63 billion in fiscal 2024 [29]

American Eagle Outfitters revenue was $5.26 billion in fiscal 2023 [30]

Urban Outfitters net sales were $5.15 billion in fiscal 2024 [31]

lululemon net revenue reached $9.6 billion in 2023 [32]

Levi Strauss & Co. net revenues were $6.18 billion in fiscal 2023 [33]

Kontoor Brands revenue totaled $2.61 billion in 2023 [34]

The TJX Companies net sales were $54.2 billion in fiscal 2024 [35]

Ross Stores sales reached $20.4 billion in fiscal 2023 [36]

Burlington Stores total sales were $9.72 billion in fiscal 2023 [37]

Nordstrom net sales were $14.2 billion in fiscal 2023 [38]

Macy’s net sales totaled $23.1 billion in fiscal 2023 [39]

Kohl’s net sales were $16.6 billion in fiscal 2023 [40]

The U.S. imported 7.57 billion square meter equivalents of apparel in 2023 [41]

The EU accounted for 28.8% of world clothing imports in 2023 [42]

Retail inventory carrying costs rose 19.6% in 2023 [43]

Average U.S. upland cotton farm price was forecast at 66 cents per pound in 2024/25 [44]

64% of procurement leaders prioritized cost reduction in 2024 [45]

82% of fashion executives expect consumers to trade down in 2024 [46]

44% of consumers are willing to pay more for sustainably produced fashion items [47]

The fashion industry uses around 93 billion cubic meters of water per year [48]

The average consumer bought 60% more clothing in 2014 than in 2000 [49]

The fashion industry accounts for 20% of global wastewater [50]

Fashion could miss its 2030 decarbonization target by 50% at the current pace [51]

Only 1% of used clothes are recycled into new clothes in the EU [52]

Cotton’s share of global fiber production was 20% in 2023 [53]

Around 85% of all textiles go to the dump each year [54]

Landfilled textiles in the U.S. totaled 11.3 million tons in 2018 [55]

18.4% of total retail sales were online in the UK (apparel & footwear excluded) in 2023, measuring the share of retail sales conducted online [56]

14.8% of EU consumers purchased clothing online in 2023, measuring the percentage of consumers who bought clothing online [57]