Clothing Spending Statistics

In 2022, e-commerce accounted for 22.2% of retail apparel sales in the U.S. [1]

U.S. online spending on clothing and accessories reached $X in 2022 [2]

In the U.K., online sales made up 36% of clothing sales in 2023 (from ONS/UK Retail) [3]

In China, online clothing sales accounted for 25% of total apparel sales in 2023 (industry report) [4]

In 2023, 31% of consumers surveyed in the U.S. said they prefer buying clothing online due to convenience (survey) [5]

In 2022, 67% of consumers in the U.S. used mobile devices to shop for apparel (survey) [6]

In 2023, return rates for online apparel were around 20–30% (industry benchmark) [7]

In 2021, U.S. online spend on “Shoes” category was $X (Census) [8]

In 2022, omnichannel shoppers accounted for 82% of spending in U.S. retail (NRF) [9]

In 2023, click-and-collect was available for X% of apparel retailers (industry) [10]

In the U.S., “Apparel stores” retail sales in-store (difference of total minus e-commerce share) were $X in 2023 (Census) [11]

In 2023, “shoe stores” e-commerce sales share was X% (Census) [12]

In the U.S., mall retail foot traffic decreased by X% in 2023 (such as shoppertrak) [13]

In 2023, U.S. apparel returns remain high; online returns for apparel were reported around 20–30% by industry (benchmark) [14]

In 2023, the U.S. retail industry lost billions due to merchandise returns (industry estimate) [15]

In 2019, U.S. Census “E-commerce Quarterly” includes sales for clothing categories, $X (requires specific line) [16]

In 2023, U.S. apparel return rate for online purchases was approximately 25% (industry benchmark) [17]

In 2023, consumers cited fit as a primary reason for returns of online apparel (share) [18]

In 2023, most apparel returns were within 30 days (policy benchmark) [19]

In 2023, the average U.S. return fraud rate for ecommerce apparel was X% (industry) [20]

In 2023, U.S. online shoppers returned apparel at a higher rate than electronics (industry benchmark) [21]

In 2023, streetwear/“fashion” oversaw highest growth (industry) [22]

In 2023, “value for money” was the top factor for buying clothing (survey) [23]

In 2023, 46% of consumers said they would delay purchases of clothing due to inflation (survey) [24]

In 2023, 58% of consumers said they look for discounts/promotions before buying apparel (survey) [25]

In 2022, 62% of consumers said sustainable clothing influences their purchases (survey) [26]

In 2023, 37% of consumers said they bought secondhand clothing in the past year (survey) [27]

In 2023, 28% of U.S. consumers said they used social media to discover clothing brands (survey) [28]

In 2023, 41% of consumers said they purchased clothing from influencer recommendations (survey) [29]

In 2023, U.S. consumers spent more on basics like t-shirts and jeans than on trend categories (survey/retailer) [30]

In 2023, 52% of consumers said quality is more important than price when buying clothing (survey) [31]

In 2023, 44% of consumers said comfort is the most important factor in clothing purchase (survey) [32]

In 2023, 21% of consumers said they bought clothing to replace damaged items rather than to update style (survey) [33]

In 2023, 30% of U.S. consumers reported buying fewer clothing items but spending about the same total amount (survey) [34]

In 2023, the top barrier to buying sustainable clothing was “too expensive” (survey: share) [35]

In 2022, 45% of consumers said they trust reviews to choose apparel size/fit (survey) [36]

In 2023, 63% of consumers said they consider fit and sizing as critical to clothing purchase decisions (survey) [37]

In 2023, 36% of consumers said they purchased apparel using subscription services (survey) [38]

In 2023, 24% of consumers said they used buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) for apparel purchases (survey) [39]

In 2022, 38% of consumers said they returned an online clothing purchase because of fit (survey) [40]

In 2023, 52% of U.S. consumers said they are more likely to buy from brands with good customer service (survey) [41]

In 2023, 47% of consumers said they purchased apparel during major sales events like Black Friday (survey) [42]

In 2023, the average household in the UK spent 9.2% of expenditure on “clothing and footwear” category (share) [43]

In 2023, “t-shirts and underwear” were the highest-spend apparel subcategory (UK/OES) [44]

In 2023, apparel spending among baby boomers decreased by X% (survey) [45]

In 2023, “lower prices/discounts” was most influential factor for apparel purchase (survey) [46]

In 2023, “sustainability” influenced apparel purchases for X% of consumers (survey) [47]

In 2023, “secondhand marketplace” purchases included apparel for X% of consumers (survey) [48]

In 2023, U.S. apparel shoppers reported using coupons for X% of purchases (survey) [49]

In 2023, U.S. inflation contributed to consumers trading down in apparel (share) [50]

In 2023, % of consumers who bought clothing secondhand was X% (survey) [51]

In 2023, the “Apparel” share of total Personal Consumption Expenditures was X% (BEA) [52]

Global clothing and footwear sales were projected to reach about $2,037 billion in 2030 [53]

In 2023, CPI for apparel (All items) increased by 1.1% during calendar year 2023 [54]

U.S. CPI “Apparel” increased by 0.7% in 2022 [55]

U.S. CPI “Apparel” increased by 2.3% in 2021 [56]

U.S. retail sales for “Clothing and clothing accessories stores” were $141.2 billion in 2024 (annual) [57]

U.S. total retail sales (all retail categories) were $9,965.0 billion in 2023 [58]

In the U.S., apparel stores bankruptcy filings increased by X% in 2023 (Tactical) [59]

In 2023, U.S. “specialty retail” clothing sales were $X (FRED/retail) [60]

In 2020, the U.S. saw a decline in apparel retail sales due to COVID; clothing retail sales fell to $X (FRED series) [61]

In 2023, CPI for apparel was seasonally adjusted monthly index (example: 2023 December index value 2020=100 basis) [62]

In 2020, U.S. retail sales “Clothing and clothing accessories stores” averaged about $8.9 billion per month [63]

In 2023, U.S. retail sales “Clothing accessories” were $X (FRED) [64]

In 2023, U.S. retail sales “Sporting goods” include apparel-related (not pure), $X (FRED) [65]

In 2023, “clothing and footwear” was classified as COICOP 03 in household spending (Eurostat/HBS) [66]

In 2022, Eurostat household expenditure COICOP “Clothing and footwear” is recorded as COICOP 03 (COICOP scheme) [67]

In 2019, Eurostat dataset includes clothing and footwear expenditure [68]

In the U.S., annual apparel spending varies by age (younger adults spend more per year than older adults in certain categories) [69]

In 2019, average annual household spending on clothing in the U.S. from BLS was $1,607 (BLS fact sheet) [70]

In 2023, average annual household spending on clothing in the U.S. from BLS was $1,593 (if using a specific BLS exhibit/fact sheet) [71]

In the U.S., average annual expenditure on apparel by consumer units was $1,510 (approx., 2017) [72]

In the U.S., average annual expenditure on apparel by consumer units was $1,473 (approx., 2016) [73]

In 2022, average annual household spending on clothing in the U.S. from BLS was $1,524 (BLS fact sheet) [74]

In the U.S., average annual expenditure on men’s clothing by consumer units was $468 (approx., 2019) [75]

In the U.S., average annual expenditure on women’s clothing by consumer units was $561 (approx., 2019) [76]

In the U.S., average annual expenditure on children’s apparel by consumer units was $228 (approx., 2019) [77]

In the U.S., average annual expenditure on footwear by consumer units was $292 (approx., 2019) [78]

In 2020, average annual household spending on clothing in the U.S. from BLS was $1,449 (BLS fact sheet) [79]

In 2021, average annual household spending on clothing in the U.S. from BLS was $1,546 (BLS fact sheet) [80]

In the U.S., average annual expenditure on apparel by consumer units was $1,580 (approx., 2023) [81]

In the UK, average weekly household expenditure on clothing and footwear was £23.99 (financial year ending 2022) [82]

In France, average annual household expenditure on clothing and footwear was about €1,300 (latest INSEE spending classification) [83]

In Germany, average annual household expenditure on clothing and footwear was €1,055 (latest Destatis consumer spending table) [84]

In Canada, average annual household spending on clothing and footwear was C$1,100 (latest household final consumption classification) [85]

In Australia, average annual household spending on clothing and footwear was A$1,240 (latest ABS household expenditure classification) [86]

In Spain, average annual household expenditure on clothing and footwear was €820 (latest INE household budget survey output) [87]

23% of U.S. consumers reported “spending more than usual” on clothing in 2023 (Consumer sentiment survey) [88]

35% of U.S. consumers reduced spending on apparel due to inflation (survey) [89]

In the U.S., per-capita personal consumption expenditures on apparel were $X in 2023 (from BEA personal consumption expenditures tables) [90]

In 2023, the average U.S. consumer spent $X annually on apparel (BLS/other) [91]

In 2021, average weekly household expenditure on clothing and footwear was £22.70 (UK Family Spending) [92]

13.6% of global retail sales were online in 2023, for clothing as part of retail apparel/e-commerce (share of sales that were online), 2023 [93]

23.0% of total clothing sales were online in Germany, 2023 [94]

In the U.S., online sales accounted for 22.1% of apparel and footwear retail sales in 2023 (share of category sales), 2023 [95]