Clothing players must respond to social boom, GlobalData

30.4% of UK clothing shoppers use social media to inspire their clothing choices, according to GlobalData.

Mamequa Boafo, Senior Retail Analyst at GlobalData, comments, “Retailers must respond to this increasing influence by having an active online presence across different platforms and take full advantage of changing consumer behaviour by using social media as a means of connecting with shoppers and improving shopper engagement.”

According to GlobalData’s 2018 survey of 5,000 UK consumers, Facebook is the most influential of all outlets with 44.7% of clothing shoppers using this channel, increasing to 48% among female shoppers. It allows the shopper to navigate from click to purchase through a personalised shopper journey, owing to targeted advertisements. 

However, retailers must ensure they consider the best sites to promote their products on based on customer demographics. Younger, fast fashion retailers such as Asos and Topshop are best placed to utilise Instagram where 30.2% of 16-24 year olds are inspired using this social media outlet. Conversely, the likes of Debenhams and Marks & Spencer’s should focus their efforts on Facebook, as this is the most influential platform for 35-44 year olds.

Boafo adds: “Retailers must react by utilising the shopping capabilities social media networks offer. Clothing players must create a seamless shopping experience by implementing processes where items are automatically added to the shopping basket when clicked on via social channels, removing the need to divert away from the social media platforms to access retailer websites.”

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