Retail And Fashion Industry Statistics

76% of consumers have switched, avoided, or boycotted brands based on how they treat employees and society [1]

62% of consumers want companies to take a stand on current and broadly relevant issues such as sustainability, transparency, or fair employment practices [1]

52% of consumers say they have encountered false or misleading information about a brand’s sustainability actions [1]

83% of consumers think it is important or extremely important for companies to design products meant to be reused or recycled [2]

Consumers are willing to pay 9.7% more on average for sustainably produced or sourced goods [2]

80% of consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable produced or sourced goods [2]

46% of consumers are buying more sustainable products as a way to reduce their environmental impact [3]

52% of Gen Z and 48% of millennials say they have made more sustainable purchasing decisions over the past month [3]

55% of consumers are concerned about the environmental impact of their purchases [3]

69% of shoppers say the quality of an item is the most important factor in deciding if a product is sustainable [4]

56% of consumers say they are likely to shop secondhand apparel if they can find the brands they like [4]

68% of consumers looked for clothing with sustainable materials in 2023 [5]

67% of fashion executives cite lack of consumer willingness to pay a premium as a top barrier to sustainability [5]

71% of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions [6]

76% of consumers get frustrated when personalization doesn’t happen [6]

78% of consumers are more likely to make repeat purchases from companies that personalize [6]

44% of Gen Z shoppers start product searches on social media [7]

58% of U.S. consumers have purchased apparel online in the past 12 months [8]

30% of U.S. consumers bought secondhand apparel in the past year [9]

49% of consumers say free shipping makes them more likely to shop online [10]

41% of consumers abandoned an online purchase because extra costs were too high [11]

The average documented online shopping cart abandonment rate is 70.19% [11]

48% of online shoppers have abandoned a cart in the last three months because delivery costs were too high [12]

22% of online shoppers abandoned a cart because delivery was too slow [12]

26% of U.S. consumers prefer buy online, pick up in store for apparel purchases [13]

36% of consumers purchased clothing via social media platforms in 2023 [14]

57% of fashion shoppers read reviews before purchasing apparel online [15]

84% of shoppers in fashion and accessories say they specifically seek out one-star reviews [15]

64% of fashion shoppers have returned apparel because of sizing issues [15]

69% of consumers say they are more likely to purchase from a retailer offering easy returns [16]

Global RFID market in retail was valued at $3.28 billion in 2023 [17]

The retail RFID market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 11.9% from 2024 to 2030 [17]

Global fashion e-commerce market size was valued at $714.3 billion in 2023 [18]

The fashion e-commerce market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.1% from 2024 to 2030 [18]

Global virtual fitting room market size was valued at $4.79 billion in 2023 [19]

The virtual fitting room market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 25.1% from 2024 to 2030 [19]

Global social commerce market size was valued at $924.5 billion in 2023 [20]

The social commerce market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 31.6% from 2024 to 2030 [20]

Global retail analytics market size was valued at $8.84 billion in 2023 [21]

The retail analytics market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 24.5% from 2024 to 2030 [21]

U.S. retail m-commerce sales reached $491 billion in 2023 [22]

Mobile commerce accounted for 44.6% of U.S. retail e-commerce sales in 2023 [22]

U.S. social commerce sales are projected to reach $80.0 billion in 2025 [23]

TikTok accounted for 43.8% of U.S. social buyers in 2024 [23]

17% of online apparel purchases are expected to be influenced by generative AI in 2024 [24]

Generative AI influenced $199 billion in global online sales during the 2024 holiday season forecast [24]

79% of retailers say their company has increased investment in AI and automation in the last year [25]

71% of consumers want generative AI integrated into their shopping experiences [25]

58% of consumers have replaced traditional search engines with generative AI tools for product recommendations [25]

69% of retail executives say improving personalization is a top digital priority [26]

56% of consumers say they will become repeat buyers after a personalized experience [26]

62% of business leaders say personalization has improved customer retention [26]

92% of companies are using AI-driven personalization to drive growth [27]

64% of consumers prefer to buy from companies that tailor experiences to their wants and needs [27]

65% of consumers say a personalized experience makes them more likely to become a repeat customer [27]

74% of shoppers are more likely to buy after watching a product video [28]

87% of people have been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a video [28]

50% of consumers say online product videos help them decide which specific brand or product to buy [29]

42% of consumers have abandoned a purchase because there wasn’t enough product information [29]

40% of shoppers have abandoned a purchase because the product description was poor or inaccurate [29]

U.S. retail trade employed 15.5 million people in March 2024 [30]

U.S. clothing and clothing accessories stores employed 1.0 million people in March 2024 [31]

U.S. textile mills employed 84,100 people in March 2024 [32]

U.S. cut and sew apparel manufacturing employed 130,300 people in March 2024 [33]

U.S. footwear manufacturing employed 24,900 people in March 2024 [34]

U.S. average hourly earnings in clothing stores were $18.46 in March 2024 [31]

U.S. average weekly hours in clothing stores were 28.5 in March 2024 [31]

U.S. average hourly earnings in retail trade were $24.52 in March 2024 [30]

U.S. average weekly hours in retail trade were 30.4 in March 2024 [30]

U.S. job openings in retail trade were 581,000 in February 2024 [35]

U.S. quits in retail trade were 601,000 in February 2024 [36]

U.S. layoffs and discharges in retail trade were 197,000 in February 2024 [37]

Inventory-to-sales ratio for U.S. clothing and clothing accessory stores was 2.54 in February 2024 [38]

Inventory-to-sales ratio for U.S. department stores was 2.09 in February 2024 [38]

U.S. retail trade inventories were $805.6 billion in February 2024 [38]

U.S. clothing and clothing accessory store inventories were $57.0 billion in February 2024 [38]

U.S. department store inventories were $27.4 billion in February 2024 [38]

Median U.S. return rate in retail was 14.5% in 2023 [39]

Retailers estimated $743 billion in merchandise was returned in 2023 [39]

For every $1 billion in sales, the average retailer incurs $145 million in merchandise returns [39]

13.7% of 2023 returns were fraudulent [39]

Retailers estimated $101 billion in return fraud and abuse in 2023 [39]

Average apparel return rate for e-commerce was 24.4% in 2023 [40]

Average apparel return rate for in-store purchases was 8.1% in 2023 [40]

70% of fashion returns are due to poor fit or style [40]

Apparel had the highest average return rate at 26% among e-commerce categories [41]

59% of retailers charge for at least one returns method [42]

84% of consumers are less likely to shop with a retailer after a poor returns experience [42]

97% of consumers say return policies influence their purchase decisions [42]

82% of retailers changed their return policies in the last 12 months [42]

U.S. retail sales reached $7.24 trillion in 2023 [43]

U.S. e-commerce sales totaled $1.118 trillion in 2023 [44]

E-commerce accounted for 15.4% of total U.S. retail sales in 2023 [44]

Global retail e-commerce sales were estimated at $5.8 trillion in 2023 [45]

Worldwide retail e-commerce sales are projected to exceed $8 trillion by 2027 [45]

The global apparel market was valued at $1.79 trillion in 2024 [46]

The global footwear market is expected to generate $457.1 billion in revenue in 2024 [47]

The global luxury fashion market was valued at $111.5 billion in 2023 [48]

Global secondhand apparel market revenue is expected to reach $73 billion in 2028 [4]

The U.S. resale market grew 11 times faster than the broader retail clothing market in 2023 [4]

Global personal luxury goods market revenue reached €362 billion in 2023 [49]

The fashion industry is responsible for between 2% and 8% of global carbon emissions [50]

The textile sector employed 1.3 million people in the EU in 2022 [51]

EU households consumed on average 19 kilograms of textiles per person in 2022 [52]

The global online fashion market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.59% from 2024 to 2029 [53]

U.S. department store sales were $111.4 billion in 2023 [54]

U.S. clothing and clothing accessories store sales were $305.4 billion in 2023 [55]

U.S. shoe store sales were $47.7 billion in 2023 [56]

U.S. jewelry store sales were $44.0 billion in 2023 [57]

Global beauty and personal care market revenue is forecast at $646.2 billion in 2024 [58]

The U.S. online apparel market is expected to generate $144.7 billion in revenue in 2024 [59]

China’s apparel market is forecast to generate $391.4 billion in revenue in 2024 [60]

India’s apparel market is forecast to generate $109.4 billion in revenue in 2024 [61]

The UK apparel market is projected to reach $86.8 billion in 2024 [62]

Global fast fashion market size was valued at $106.4 billion in 2022 [63]

The global sports apparel market was valued at $203.3 billion in 2023 [64]

The global fashion influencer marketing market was valued at $6.82 billion in 2024 [65]

The global online clothing rental market size was valued at $1.77 billion in 2023 [66]

The global plus size clothing market was valued at $311.44 billion in 2023 [67]

The global maternity apparel market size was valued at $19.98 billion in 2023 [68]

Global apparel production doubled between 2000 and 2015 [69]

The average number of times a garment is worn before it ceases to be used has decreased by 36% compared with 15 years ago [69]

Less than 1% of material used to produce clothing is recycled into new clothing [69]

Every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned [69]

The fashion industry uses around 93 billion cubic meters of water annually [50]

A pair of jeans requires about 7,500 liters of water to produce [50]

The fashion industry accounts for 9% of annual microplastic losses to the ocean [50]

Textile consumption in the EU caused on average the fourth highest pressure on the environment and climate from a consumption perspective in 2022 [52]

Textiles in the EU generated about 270 kilograms of CO2 emissions per person in 2022 [52]

Textile consumption in the EU used 9 cubic meters of water per person in 2022 [52]

Textile consumption in the EU used 400 square meters of land per person in 2022 [52]

Textile consumption in the EU used 391 kilograms of raw materials per person in 2022 [52]

EU citizens discard about 16 kilograms of textiles per person each year [51]

Only 4.4 kilograms of textiles per person are separately collected for reuse and recycling in the EU [51]

Global fiber production reached 124 million tonnes in 2023 [70]

Polyester accounted for 57% of global fiber production in 2023 [70]

Recycled polyester represented 13.6% of total polyester production in 2023 [70]

Virgin fossil-based synthetic fibers made up 62% of global fiber production in 2023 [70]

Cotton accounted for 20% of global fiber production in 2023 [70]

Manmade cellulosic fibers represented 6% of global fiber production in 2023 [70]

The average annual greenhouse gas emissions associated with textile purchases in Europe are estimated at 654 kilograms CO2 equivalent per person [71]

Clothing utilization has declined by 40% in some markets [72]

More than 100 billion garments are produced each year globally [72]

35% of all microplastics in the ocean come from washing synthetic textiles [73]

87% of the total fiber input used for clothing is ultimately incinerated or landfilled [69]

The fashion industry loses more than $500 billion of value every year due to underutilized clothing and lack of recycling [69]

Synthetic textiles are estimated to release 0.5 million tonnes of microfibers into the ocean every year [50]

The textile industry is the third biggest source of water degradation and land use in the EU [51]

The textile industry is the fifth biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions and primary raw materials use in the EU [51]

8% of global greenhouse gas emissions are caused by the textile sector [74]

215 trillion liters of water are used by the fashion industry per year [74]

9% of annual microplastic pollution to the oceans comes from textiles [74]

Global apparel resale is expected to reach $350 billion by 2028 [4]

Apparel imports to the U.S. totaled $79.3 billion in 2023 [75]

U.S. apparel exports totaled $4.9 billion in 2023 [75]

U.S. footwear imports totaled $30.4 billion in 2023 [76]

U.S. footwear exports totaled $2.0 billion in 2023 [76]

China accounted for 21.3% of U.S. apparel imports by value in 2023 [75]

Vietnam accounted for 18.9% of U.S. apparel imports by value in 2023 [75]

Bangladesh accounted for 9.7% of U.S. apparel imports by value in 2023 [75]

India accounted for 5.8% of U.S. apparel imports by value in 2023 [75]

Indonesia accounted for 5.0% of U.S. apparel imports by value in 2023 [75]

Cambodia accounted for 4.6% of U.S. apparel imports by value in 2023 [75]

Pakistan accounted for 3.6% of U.S. apparel imports by value in 2023 [75]

Mexico accounted for 3.4% of U.S. apparel imports by value in 2023 [75]

Honduras accounted for 2.8% of U.S. apparel imports by value in 2023 [75]

Italy accounted for 2.3% of U.S. apparel imports by value in 2023 [75]

U.S. cotton textile and apparel exports were $28.0 billion in 2023 [77]

More than 200 countries are involved in the clothing value chain [74]

The EU imported €191 billion worth of textiles and clothing in 2023 [78]

The EU exported €69 billion worth of textiles and clothing in 2023 [78]

China was the EU’s largest supplier of textiles and clothing with 27% of imports in 2023 [78]

Türkiye accounted for 12% of EU textile and clothing imports in 2023 [78]

Bangladesh supplied 11% of EU textile and clothing imports in 2023 [78]

The EU textile and clothing industry had a turnover of €170 billion in 2023 [78]

The EU textile and clothing industry employed 1.3 million people in 2023 [78]

99% of EU textile and clothing enterprises are SMEs [78]

China produced 22.1 billion pairs of shoes in 2022 [79]

India produced 2.6 billion pairs of shoes in 2022 [79]

Vietnam produced 1.4 billion pairs of shoes in 2022 [79]

Indonesia produced 1.1 billion pairs of shoes in 2022 [79]

Global cotton production was projected at 113.3 million bales in 2023/24 [80]

India was projected to produce 25.0 million bales of cotton in 2023/24 [80]

China was projected to produce 27.0 million bales of cotton in 2023/24 [80]