Clothing Retail Industry Statistics

U.S. apparel and footwear e-commerce return rate was 20% in 2023 [1]

The U.S. clothing retail industry (NAICS 4481) had median operating expenses of 93.2% of revenue in 2022 [2]

The U.S. specialty clothing stores industry (NAICS 4482) revenue was $162.0 billion in 2023 [3]

The average apparel retail gross margin in the U.S. was 58.8% in 2021 [4]

U.S. apparel retail inventory turnover was 3.8x in 2021 [5]

U.S. apparel retail operating margin was 6.9% in 2021 [6]

U.S. apparel retail net profit margin was 4.0% in 2021 [7]

The U.S. clothing manufacturing industry average gross margin was 35.0% in 2023 [8]

U.S. department stores industry (NAICS 4521) revenue was $62.3 billion in 2023 [9]

U.S. online clothing retail companies saw average return on assets of 7.6% in 2023 [10]

U.S. clothing retailers’ return on equity averaged 17.2% in 2023 [11]

Spain apparel retailers’ average gross margin was 46% in 2023 [12]

Japan apparel retailers’ average operating margin was 5.2% in FY2023 [13]

U.S. inventory shrinkage rate was 0.9% in 2023 (retail) [14]

Global apparel retail markdown rate averaged 28% of merchandise in 2023 [15]

U.S. retail apparel shrink due to theft and fraud was $20.1 billion in 2022 [16]

Global apparel e-commerce return rates ranged 20%–30% [17]

U.S. retailers’ average chargeback rate was 0.28% in 2023 [18]

Payment fraud losses for retail were $12.4 billion in 2022 globally [19]

Average discount rate for apparel promotions in the U.S. was 30% in 2023 [20]

Black Friday apparel deal discount averaged 32% in 2023 [21]

U.K. online fashion conversion rate averaged 1.9% in 2023 [22]

U.S. online apparel conversion rate averaged 2.2% in 2023 [23]

U.S. retailers’ average cart abandonment rate was 70% in 2023 [24]

U.S. retailers’ average refund rate was 4.9% in 2023 [25]

Global fashion brand valuation grew to $1.2 trillion in 2023 [26]

Global luxury apparel pricing power: consumers willing to pay premium of 15% on average [27]

U.S. apparel retailers’ EBITDA margin median was 12.3% in 2023 [28]

Global apparel retailer credit losses were 1.1% in 2023 [29]

The share of U.S. consumers expecting deliveries in under 2 days was 60% in 2023 [30]

U.S. consumers using curbside pickup were 37% in 2023 [31]

In 2021, 13.1% of total U.S. retail sales were e-commerce [32]

U.S. retail e-commerce sales grew 9.8% in 2023 vs 2022 [33]

U.S. fulfillment costs for retailers averaged 17.9% of revenue in 2023 [34]

Global supply chain lead times for apparel reduced by 10% in 2023 (index) [35]

U.S. retailers used 3.2 delivery carriers on average in 2023 [36]

Average same-day delivery adoption among major retailers was 62% in 2023 [37]

In 2023, 73% of consumers said real-time inventory availability affects where they shop [38]

2023 apparel stockouts caused an estimated 4% loss of potential sales (index) [39]

Apparel inventory is held on average 64 days before sale in the U.S. [40]

Global apparel returns cost retailers an estimated $450 billion annually [41]

Reverse logistics costs for retailers averaged 20%–30% of product value [42]

U.S. average shipping cost paid by retailers for last-mile deliveries was $8.43 per package in 2023 [43]

U.K. last-mile delivery cost averaged £6.30 per parcel in 2023 [44]

France last-mile delivery cost averaged €5.70 per parcel in 2023 [45]

Average online apparel delivery time in the U.S. was 3.2 days in 2023 [46]

U.S. retailers cite 30% of inventory planning errors as demand forecasting issues [47]

Global apparel e-commerce share of apparel sales was 26% in 2023 [48]

China online apparel share of total apparel sales was 24% in 2023 [49]

India online apparel share of total apparel sales was 10% in 2023 [50]

U.S. retailers offered free shipping to 68% of shoppers by 2023 (promotional coverage) [51]

Average rate of markdown as a result of overstock in apparel was 25% in 2023 [52]

Average time to restock returned apparel was 12 days in 2023 [53]

Global apparel warehouse automation adoption was 18% in 2023 [54]

France clothing and footwear retail sales were €58.1 billion in 2023 [55]

U.S. retail sales of clothing and clothing accessories were $234.5 billion in 2023 [56]

U.S. retail sales of clothing and clothing accessories were $226.8 billion in 2022 [57]

U.S. retail sales of clothing and clothing accessories were $218.0 billion in 2021 [58]

Global apparel market size was $1,344.3 billion in 2020 [59]

Global clothing retail sales in 2023 were $1.1 trillion [60]

U.S. apparel e-commerce sales reached $142.2 billion in 2022 [61]

U.S. apparel e-commerce sales reached $122.2 billion in 2021 [62]

China online apparel sales were RMB 2411.4 billion in 2022 [63]

UK clothing and footwear retail sales were £56.4 billion in 2023 [64]

Germany clothing retail sales were €29.5 billion in 2023 (calendar adjusted) [65]

India’s online clothing and footwear market size was $8.5 billion in 2023 [66]

Indonesia online fashion sales were $8.3 billion in 2023 [67]

Spain clothing retail sales were €18.9 billion in 2023 [68]

Italy clothing retail sales were €19.8 billion in 2023 [69]

Brazil online apparel market size was $19.3 billion in 2023 [70]

South Korea online apparel sales were KRW 8.7 trillion in 2023 [71]

Canada retail sales of clothing and accessories were C$ 30.3 billion in 2023 [72]

Australia retail trade: clothing retail sales were A$ 36.5 billion in 2023 [73]

Japan apparel e-commerce sales were ¥ 1.3 trillion in 2023 [74]

Global fast fashion market size was $184.6 billion in 2022 [75]

Global activewear market size was $357.6 billion in 2024 [76]

U.S. department store sales declined 1.4% in 2023 (seasonally adjusted) [77]

U.S. specialty apparel retailers sales increased by 4.0% in 2023 (seasonally adjusted) [78]

Global fashion market revenue forecast reached $2.5 trillion in 2024 [79]

Global apparel production GHG emissions were about 1.2 billion tonnes CO2e per year (2018 estimate) [80]

Textile and clothing consumption increased by 60% globally since 2000 [81]

U.S. EPA estimates textiles account for about 8% of total municipal solid waste by weight [82]

In 2022, EU Member States were required to implement textile waste separate collection (implementation status) [83]

EU target for recycled textile fibers: 25% by 2025 (Circular Economy goals) [84]

EU textile strategy target: 90% of textiles collected by 2030 [85]

U.K. Household textile waste recycling rate was 18% in 2022 [86]

France textiles recycling rate was 22% in 2022 [87]

Water use to produce 1 kg of cotton was about 10,000 liters (global average) [88]

Dyeing and finishing can consume about 20% of industrial water pollution [89]

Microfiber shedding contributes significantly to ocean plastic pollution; estimate of fashion microfiber emissions is 500,000 tonnes per year globally (mid-range) [90]

The EU EPR requirement for textiles is part of the new EU Waste Framework Directive [91]

The EU REACH regulation covers restrictions on certain chemicals used in textiles [92]

The EU Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) regulation applies to chemicals relevant to textile finishing [93]

California passed SB 62 (2020) requiring first-in-time-of-sale labeling for textiles to include fiber content information (implementation) [94]

California SB 1383 sets textile and packaging waste reduction and recycling requirements (landfill ban framework) [95]

UK Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging and textiles is planned for 2024 (policy) [96]

Share of consumers willing to pay more for sustainable products was 66% globally (Meta/IBM survey) [97]

77% of consumers consider social and environmental factors when buying products (global) [98]

55% of consumers said they are concerned about the environmental impact of fast fashion [99]

73% of respondents say clothes last shorter due to fast fashion (global survey) [100]

Average number of times clothes are worn globally before disposal is 7 times [101]

Textile sorting increases recycling yields; only 1% is recycled into new clothes globally (common estimate) [102]

In the EU, separate collection rates for textiles are below 50% (policy baseline) [103]

Total plastic microfibers from laundering estimated 0.5 million tonnes annually globally (model) [104]

In the U.S., apparel industry wages averaged $16.50 per hour in 2023 [105]

U.S. retail trade employment was 16.5 million in 2023 (all retail) [106]

U.S. clothing and clothing accessories stores (NAICS 448) employment was 2.0 million in 2023 [107]

U.S. apparel manufacturing employment was 1.0 million in 2023 [108]

In the U.S., the number of apparel retail establishments was about 295,000 in 2022 [109]

The number of retail stores declined by 1.2% in 2023 in the U.S. [110]

Market concentration: top 4 firms share of sales in U.S. apparel retail was 25% [111]

The U.K. clothing & footwear retail sector had 39,000 businesses in 2023 [112]

In France, online apparel accounted for 25% of apparel sales in 2023 [113]

Germany clothing retail businesses count was 17,500 in 2023 [114]

Italy clothing retail businesses count was 11,300 in 2023 [115]

Spain clothing retail businesses count was 9,200 in 2023 [116]

India had about 200,000 clothing retail businesses in 2022 [117]

China had about 1.6 million clothing-related retail outlets in 2022 [118]

In the U.S., off-price apparel retailers accounted for 25% of apparel sales in 2023 [119]

In the U.S., fast fashion retailers accounted for 20% of apparel sales in 2023 [120]

In the U.K., online apparel accounted for 30% of total apparel sales in 2023 [121]

In Germany, online apparel accounted for 28% of apparel sales in 2023 [122]

In U.S., specialty apparel stores closed 1,500 stores in 2023 [123]

In U.S., apparel retailer bankruptcies declined by 10% in 2023 [124]

Global textile and apparel trade accounted for 2.1% of total world trade in 2022 [125]

The top apparel exporters in 2022 were China, Bangladesh, Vietnam, India, and Turkey (top 5 share) [126]

In the U.S., cashiers median pay was $13.25/hour in 2023 [127]

In the U.S., 21.6% of consumers said they shopped online for apparel in the past month [128]

In the U.S., 52% of online shoppers bought apparel online in 2020 [129]

70% of consumers want to see sustainability information about products [130]

73% of consumers say they would change their consumption habits to reduce environmental impact [131]

50% of consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable brands (global) [132]

35% of consumers say fit/comfort is the most important factor when buying clothing [133]

61% of shoppers abandon websites due to slow load times [134]

44% of online shoppers say product reviews influence their purchase decisions [135]

54% of consumers want to see more transparent pricing [136]

73% of millennials say they prefer to buy sustainable products [137]

41% of consumers follow fashion brands on social media [138]

27% of consumers bought apparel because of influencer content [139]

38% of consumers say they use mobile apps to compare prices before buying apparel [140]

38% of consumers expect free returns for online apparel [141]

55% of shoppers would wait for a discount to buy clothing [142]

48% of shoppers have bought clothing from resale platforms [143]

26% of U.S. shoppers say they prefer thrifting over buying new clothing [144]

44% of consumers want more inclusive sizing options in apparel brands [145]

32% of consumers consider brand reputation most important in apparel purchases [146]

53% of consumers use mobile to look for product information before buying apparel [147]

2019: 12.7% — U.S. retail sales that were e-commerce (as a share of total retail sales). [148]

2020: 16.3% — U.S. retail sales that were e-commerce (as a share of total retail sales). [149]

2021: 14.6% — U.S. retail sales that were e-commerce (as a share of total retail sales). [150]

2022: 14.0% — U.S. retail sales that were e-commerce (as a share of total retail sales). [151]

2023: 14.9% — U.S. retail sales that were e-commerce (as a share of total retail sales). [152]

2024: 16.1% — U.S. retail sales that were e-commerce (as a share of total retail sales). [153]