Marketing In The Apparel Industry Statistics

In the U.S., fashion brands spent $8.5B on Facebook/Instagram advertising in 2023 [1]

Fashion brands spent $4.2B on Google Search ads in 2023 in the U.S. [1]

Fashion brands spent $1.7B on YouTube ads in the U.S. in 2023 [1]

In 2022, global digital ad spend in retail/ecommerce was about $129B [2]

Influencer marketing industry size was estimated at $21.3B in 2023 [3]

Influencer marketing spending is projected to reach $24.1B in 2024 [3]

89% of marketers say ROI from influencer marketing is comparable to other channels [4]

49% of marketers say influencer marketing is effective for brand awareness [4]

30% of marketers say influencer marketing is effective for direct sales [4]

Email has an average ROI of $36 per $1 spent [5]

For apparel retailers, average conversion rates for email are around 2% [6]

SMS marketing can have conversion rates up to 6% [7]

Paid search is responsible for 50% of ecommerce traffic in the U.S. [8]

In 2023, TikTok ad revenue was estimated at $11.0B globally [9]

Pinterest ad revenue was estimated at $3.0B in 2023 [10]

Meta’s ad revenue was $134.9B in 2023 [11]

Google ad revenue was $224.47B in 2023 (Alphabet) [12]

Amazon retail media revenue was $37.1B in 2023 (Amazon ads) [13]

Retail media is projected to grow to $125B globally by 2025 [14]

Mobile ads accounted for 66% of total digital ad revenue in the U.S. in 2023 [15]

In a survey, 60% of marketers said they use paid social for apparel promotion [16]

41% of consumers discover brands via Instagram ads [17]

38% of consumers discover brands via TikTok ads [18]

Google Shopping ads drive higher ROAS for apparel in many markets; ROAS can be 30% higher than standard search [19]

For Instagram, average engagement rate across industries is about 1.22% (post) [20]

Influencer posts average engagement varies; micro-influencers have higher engagement rates (e.g., 7.0%) [21]

In 2023, global influencer marketing platforms market size was $7.6B [22]

59% of consumers prefer email for promotions compared to SMS [23]

In a survey of 18,000 shoppers, 49% said product reviews influence what they buy [24]

70% of shoppers say they use social media to help them decide what to buy [25]

45% of consumers say they’re more likely to shop from brands that provide personalized recommendations [26]

52% of consumers expect businesses to understand their needs and expectations [26]

80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase when brands offer personalized experiences [27]

60% of consumers say they will not buy again after a bad experience [28]

67% of shoppers expect retailers to offer quick responses (customer service) across channels [29]

56% of customers are willing to pay more for a better customer experience [30]

53% of consumers say they shop in stores because it’s faster than online [31]

58% of consumers say they’ve returned an online purchase due to incorrect sizing [31]

62% of consumers say size and fit information is important when buying apparel online [32]

41% of shoppers say they bought something after seeing it on TikTok [33]

40% of Gen Z shoppers say they trust influencer recommendations when buying apparel [34]

87% of shoppers say they read product reviews before making a purchase [35]

90% of consumers say authenticity in brand advertising is important [36]

73% of consumers say customer reviews influence their purchase decisions [37]

36% of consumers expect brands to respond within an hour on social media [26]

45% of consumers say they’re more likely to shop at a brand that has high ratings and reviews [38]

39% of shoppers say they buy from brands they follow on Instagram [39]

56% of people say they prefer to shop in mobile apps for convenience [40]

63% of consumers say they’re interested in learning about brands through social media [41]

75% of consumers say product videos help them decide [42]

30% of online shoppers abandon a purchase if shipping is too expensive [43]

18% of shoppers abandon carts due to delivery time [43]

52% of shoppers say they have “price” as their main consideration when choosing clothing [44]

North America accounted for 39.2% of the global apparel market revenue in 2023 [45]

China’s apparel retail sales were forecast to be CNY 2,497 billion in 2024 [46]

India’s apparel retail sales were forecast to be USD 52.6 billion in 2024 [47]

U.S. apparel and footwear retail sales in 2023 were $433.0 billion [48]

The global apparel market revenue was estimated at USD 1.81 trillion in 2023 [49]

The global sportswear market revenue was estimated at USD 231.0 billion in 2023 [50]

The global fast fashion market revenue was estimated at USD 190.0 billion in 2023 [51]

The global sustainable apparel market size was estimated at USD 8.25 billion in 2022 [52]

In 2022, the U.S. was the leading apparel exporter worldwide with an export value of $32.2 billion [53]

In 2022, Bangladesh ranked as a leading apparel exporter with export value of $40.1 billion [54]

In 2022, Vietnam’s apparel export value was $36.7 billion [55]

In 2022, China’s apparel export value was $67.6 billion [56]

In 2022, Italy’s apparel export value was $21.4 billion [57]

In 2022, Germany’s apparel export value was $14.5 billion [58]

In 2022, Spain’s apparel export value was $7.6 billion [59]

The UK apparel market revenue was $43.1 billion in 2023 [60]

France’s apparel market revenue was $28.8 billion in 2023 [61]

Germany’s apparel market revenue was $26.3 billion in 2023 [62]

Brazil’s apparel retail sales were $47.8 billion in 2023 [63]

Mexico’s apparel retail sales were $9.7 billion in 2023 [64]

Indonesia’s apparel retail sales were forecast at USD 6.7 billion in 2024 [65]

Saudi Arabia’s apparel retail sales were forecast to reach USD 4.1 billion in 2024 [66]

UAE’s apparel retail sales were forecast to reach USD 2.8 billion in 2024 [67]

Turkey’s apparel retail sales were forecast to reach USD 14.4 billion in 2024 [68]

The global online apparel market size was estimated at USD 124.6 billion in 2023 [69]

The global ecommerce apparel market is projected to reach USD 172.0 billion by 2027 [69]

In the U.S., e-commerce share of apparel and accessories retail sales was 10.8% in 2023 [70]

In the U.K., online apparel sales were $20.0 billion in 2023 [71]

In Germany, online apparel sales were $13.6 billion in 2023 [72]

In France, online apparel sales were $7.5 billion in 2023 [73]

In Spain, online apparel sales were $3.9 billion in 2023 [74]

The global apparel & footwear sector had an estimated ecommerce share of about 25% in 2023 [75]

In the U.S., apparel and accessories sales online were $96.5B in 2023 [22]

In Canada, online apparel sales were $5.0B in 2023 [22]

In Japan, online apparel sales were $9.4B in 2023 [22]

In South Korea, online apparel sales were $6.7B in 2023 [22]

In Italy, apparel ecommerce revenues were €1.6B in 2023 [22]

In the Netherlands, online apparel sales were €1.2B in 2023 [22]

In Sweden, online apparel sales were €1.0B in 2023 [22]

In Australia, apparel ecommerce sales were AUD 7.3B in 2023 [22]

In New Zealand, apparel ecommerce sales were NZD 2.0B in 2023 [22]

Global apparel retail sales were $1.9T in 2023 [76]

Global fashion e-commerce sales exceeded $200B in 2023 (category estimate) [22]

In 2023, Gen Z (age 18–24) accounted for 25% of global apparel buyers [22]

61% of consumers say they have purchased items after seeing them on influencer social posts [77]

Retailers using personalization can increase revenue by 10% or more [78]

80% of shoppers say personalization influences decisions [79]

73% of consumers expect offers tailored to them [26]

44% of consumers say they will not shop if the website is not personalized [80]

54% of consumers say they want to see more sustainable and ethical brands in their recommendations [81]

58% of shoppers want to receive personalized recommendations based on past purchases [82]

48% of shoppers are interested in style recommendations [83]

41% of apparel shoppers use sizing charts before purchase [22]

27% of online shoppers use “virtual try-on” when deciding on apparel [22]

AR/virtual try-on can lift conversion rates by 20% in retail (reported industry benchmark) [84]

Retailers using recommendation engines report 10–30% revenue lift (industry benchmark) [78]

Abandoned cart emails have average open rates of ~45% and conversion rates of ~3% (benchmark) [85]

Apparel search advertising click-through rate averages around 1.5% (industry benchmark) [86]

Average ecommerce conversion rate in 2023 was about 2.3% [87]

Average ecommerce cart abandonment rate was about 70% in 2023 [88]

Average return rate for apparel and footwear is often around 30% (U.S. ecommerce context) [89]

23% of online shoppers return items because they don’t fit [89]

44% of consumers say they want free returns to shop online [90]

Size-based recommendations can reduce returns by 10–20% (industry benchmark) [91]

Personalized product recommendations can increase conversion by 10%+ [92]

66% of consumers report making additional purchases from emails and SMS promotions [93]

62% of marketers use marketing automation for lifecycle messages [22]

35% of apparel marketers say they measure ROAS primarily with platform data [94]

46% of marketers say attribution is a top challenge [95]

38% of marketers use MMM for measurement (benchmark) [95]

By 2030, the fashion industry is expected to be responsible for around 15–20% of global carbon emissions [96]

The fashion industry consumes about 79 trillion liters of water annually [97]

About 85% of textiles are not recycled and instead end up in landfills or are incinerated [98]

EU textile fibers must meet at least 25% recycled content for clothing by 2030 under proposed rules [99]

Proposed EU rules require separate collection of textiles by 2025 (for certain targets) [99]

The EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation will apply to textiles and footwear [100]

The U.S. FTC Green Guides provide that advertisers should substantiate environmental claims [101]

EU “Green Claims” Directive (proposed) would require substantiation and anti-greenwashing rules; current draft references penalties up to 4% of annual turnover [102]

In a consumer survey, 73% of global consumers say they would pay more for sustainable offerings [103]

66% of consumers say they want brands to help them make more sustainable choices [81]

55% of consumers say they’ve stopped buying from a brand due to ethical concerns [104]

46% of consumers say labels influence their purchasing decisions (sustainability-related) [75]

Extended Producer Responsibility laws are increasing; France’s REP for textiles launched in 2022 [105]

In 2023, California’s SB 54 required labeling and transparency for forced labor-related imports [106]

The UK Modern Slavery Act requires certain companies to publish annual statements [107]

In 2019, the U.S. Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) restricted imports with forced labor risk [108]

Bangladesh’s textile sector accounted for 83% of export earnings (ethical context for marketing claims) [109]

Cambodia’s garment industry accounts for about 80% of total exports [110]

The EU requires sustainability reporting under CSRD for covered companies (including those in the apparel supply chain) [111]

The SEC adopted climate-related disclosure rules (subject to court stays) affecting marketing/sustainability claims for some issuers [112]

Fashion brands with verified carbon footprints are increasing; average carbon footprint disclosure rates are improving (e.g., 15% reported targets) [113]

The Fashion Transparency Index reported that only 20% of brands disclose their factory list (2019) [114]

Fashion Revolution’s Transparency Index found average transparency score was 24% [115]