COMPANIES

No Data Found

NEWS

No Data Found
Advertisement
How does India buy clothes? Malls, shops - not online - still rule the roost

How does India buy clothes? Malls, shops - not online - still rule the roost

As per the survey, 4 per cent households now use e-commerce as their exclusive channel to buy clothes, while 9 per cent said that their clothes are custom-made or tailor-made.

Anwesha Madhukalya
Anwesha Madhukalya
  • Updated Apr 22, 2024 10:48 AM IST
How does India buy clothes? Malls, shops - not online - still rule the roostHow India shops: Customers still prefer malls, in-person purchases over online shopping

With popular websites catering to a wide range of options and styles, online purchases of apparel have definitely gone up, but malls and stores still rule the roost. As per a survey, almost half of the respondents still depend on malls and shops to try a piece of clothing before buying it. Nevertheless, some people have mostly moved to online purchasing. 

Advertisement

Related Articles

According to a survey by LocalCircles, 47 per cent of respondents indicated that they primarily visit a mall or a store that allows them to try on clothes before buying, while 40 per cent indicated that their shopping is a good mix of in-store and online purchases. As per the survey, 4 per cent households now use e-commerce as their exclusive channel to buy clothes, while 9 per cent said that their clothes are custom-made or tailor-made. They responded to a question on how their household bought clothes.

Even though only 4 per cent rely on online shopping, the reasons are myriad. Among the 11,632 responses received, 37 per cent cited better discounts, while 29 per cent cited ‘ease of exchange, return and refunds, 26 per cent indicated more choice and options, while 11 per cent cited miscellaneous other reasons. 

Advertisement

Why then with so much ease with online shopping do customers prefer in-person shopping or malls? The top-most reason – 81 per cent – cited was the “touch, feel and try” facility in stores, while 44 per cent said more selection, 33 per cent indicated ‘ease of exchange and return’, 28 per cent indicated the ability to get something instantly, 28 per cent stated the ability to bargain and negotiate, and 9 per cent stated other reasons. 

“What the study finds is that though the pandemic led to increased adoption of buying apparel online, once again the physical stores/markets are being preferred by people for buying clothes,” stated the report, adding, “With convenience fee to order online and other charges like delivery and in some cases even a return fee being levied by some platforms, there currently are barriers that work against the growth of the apparel industry online. Unless the discounts offered stay high, which they have been in the last few years, there is a high chance that online apparel buying will stagnate or see slow growth in India.” 

Advertisement

The Indian textile and apparel industry contributes nearly 2 per cent to India’s GDP, and accounts for 14 per cent of industrial production, 27 per cent of the country’s foreign exchange inflows and 13 per cent of the country’s export earnings, the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) had stated in its report. 

The total Indian apparel consumption expenditure is expected to grow to Rs 9.35 Lakh crore in 2024.
 

Published on: Apr 22, 2024 10:47 AM IST
    Post a comment