Germany Clothing Retailing Market Report 2023
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Stay ahead of the curve and future-proof your business with Mintel’s Germany Clothing Retail Market Report 2023. Our full report is packed with consumer-led market intelligence, the latest clothing retail industry trends, and consumer behaviours affecting your industry. Get a 360° view of the clothing retail market Germany including market size, share, and forecasted growth to help you align your business strategy with the needs of your audience.
Below, we’ve handpicked the key insights analysed in the full report and summarised the core topics.
Topics Analysed in this Report
- A detailed clothing retail market outlook, including expert insights, and market drivers.
- The effects of the recent pandemic and the rising cost of living on clothing retailers in Germany.
- Who is buying clothing and what types of clothes are being purchased.
- Channels and retailers used to purchase fashion in Germany.
- Innovations by clothing retailers in Germany, including the use of technology, sustainable ranges, and providing a multichannel experience.
- How your business can tap into opportunities to increase your share in the clothing retail industry.
An Overview of the Clothing Retail Market in Germany
Clothing specialists experienced a boost in sales in 2022 as a result of pent-up demand from the previous pandemic years. In 2023 however, the clothing retail market is facing a more challenging landscape as consumers continue to spend cautiously.
Our Germany clothing retail report shows that as soon as consumer confidence recovers, shoppers will feel encouraged to spend more on clothing again, especially younger consumers.
Germany Clothing Retail Report: What Consumers Want and Why
- Clothing Retail Industry Statistics: Online is the most popular channel to buy clothing, with 67% of Germans having bought clothing online. Whilst many will resume shopping in-store, the online channel will continue to gain strength as the shopping experience improves.
- Clothing Retail Industry Trends: Higher personalisation is a growing trend that is unlikely to fade, with 76% of younger men and 73% of younger women seeing fashion as a visual form of self-expression. Moving forward, shoppers will welcome technologies that help them create an entire outfit at a set budget, or digital avatars with their body measurements to ensure the clothes they like will fit them right when they shop online.
- The Clothing Retail Industry & Sustainability: 17% of Germans consider sustainable options an important factor when buying clothes, rising to 21% among 16 to 34-year-olds. This accounts for the rise in vintage clothing and second-hand shopping in Germany. Whilst buying clothes from second-hand stores is nothing new, brands and retailers are actively stepping into this market. Second-hand also offers an alternative way to save money, presenting an ideal opportunity for brands to link sustainability to budget-conscious spending.
Clothing Retail Market Forecast
- As AI technologies move forward, the omni-channel model will evolve and become even more essential to clothing retailers in Germany, gradually redefining how consumers look and shop for clothing.
- Sustainability will remain key, but retailers will have to make an effort to stand out, for example by providing ways for shoppers to find the best-fitting clothes and guidance with style and occasions.
To learn how to connect with your audience, purchase our Clothing Retailing Market Report 2023 in full. Reveal lucrative innovation opportunities to help your business grow during times of financial uncertainty.
Products and Brands Discussed in this Report
Brands: Styleriser, H&M, St. Marc, Otto, Zalando, Schwarz, C&A, KiK, Galeria, Ernsting’s Family, P&C, Inditex, Globetrotter, AboutYou, and many more.
Products: Men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing (outerwear, underwear, accessories).
Expert Insights on the Clothing Retail Market Germany
This report, written by Armando Falcao, Associate Director, delivers in-depth commentary and analysis to highlight clothing retail industry trends and add expert context to the numbers.
According to our Germany clothing retail report, 2023 is proving challenging for clothing retailers in Germany, but brands can use generative AI technology and avatars to keep shoppers engaged and help them buy better-fitting clothes.
Armando Falcao
Associate Director – Retail Reports
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Executive summary
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Market context
- Graph 1: consumer spending on clothing and footwear (incl VAT), 2014-23
- Graph 2: monthly harmonised consumer price index, by category, 2021-23
- Graph 3: channels used to buy clothing, 2023
- Mintel predicts
- Opportunities
- The competitive landscape
- Graph 4: leading retailers’ share of total consumer spending on clothing, 2021-22
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market drivers
- The German economy
- Graph 5: key economic data, in real terms, 2019-24
- Graph 6: retail sales (EUR bn incl VAT), 2016-23
- Demographics
- Graph 7: population forecast and age-group breakdown, 2022-70
- Obesity
- Graph 8: proportion of those considered overweight and obese, by gender, 2021
- Sustainability
- Shift in gender perception
- Graph 9: clothing purchased by women in the last 12 months, 2023
- Graph 10: clothing purchased by men in the last 12 months, 2023
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MARKET ACTIVITY
- Sector size and forecast
- Graph 11: specialist clothing retailers’ sales (excl VAT), 2016-23
- Consumer spending
- Graph 12: consumer spending on clothing and selected categories (incl VAT), 2014-23
- Channels of distribution
- Graph 13: estimated distribution of spending on clothing and footwear, 2022
- Graph 14: specialist clothing retailers’ share of total spending on clothing, 2014-23
- Online
- Graph 15: online retail sales, clothing and total ecommerce, 2014-22
- Graph 16: purchase channels for clothing, 2020-23
- Market segmentation
- Graph 17: consumer spending on clothing and footwear, by segment, 2016-23
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What consumers want and why
- Shopping channels for purchasing clothing
- Graph 18: channels used to buy clothing in the past 12 months, by generation, 2023
- Graph 19: those who have not bought clothes for themselves in the past 12 months, by generation, 2023
- Graph 20: methods used to purchase clothing in the past 12 months, 2021-23
- Graph 21: channels used to buy clothing in the past 12 months, by generation, 2023
- Graph 22: channels used to buy clothing, by income level, 2023
- Retailers used to shop for clothing
- Graph 23: retailers used to purchase clothing, by age group, 2023
- Graph 24: retailers used to purchase clothing in-store in the last 12 months, 2023
- Graph 25: retailers used to purchase clothing in-store, 2023
- Graph 26: retailers used to purchase clothing online in the last 12 months, 2023
- Graph 27: types of retailers used to buy clothing, by channel, 2023
- Clothing purchasing behaviours
- Graph 28: behaviours when shopping for clothing, 2023
- Graph 29: circularity behaviours when buying clothes, by age group, 2023
- Graph 30: consumers who bought a limited-edition item of clothing in the last 12 months, by age group and household income level, 2023
- Graph 31: consumers who have joined a retailer’s loyalty scheme when shopping for clothes, by age group, 2023
- Important factors when buying clothing
- Graph 32: ranking of important factors when buying clothes, 2023
- Graph 33: consumers who find it important that clothes that fit them well (any rank), by gender and age group, 2023
- Graph 34: important factors when buying clothes for themselves (any rank), by age group, 2023
- Graph 35: important factors when buying clothes for themselves (any rank), by age group, 2023
- Interest in innovations
- Graph 36: interest in technology when buying clothing in-store, 2023
- Graph 37: interest in technology when buying clothing in-store, by monthly household income, 2023
- Graph 38: interest in technology when buying clothing online, 2023
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RETAILER ACTIVITY
- Leading retailers
- Graph 39: leading clothing retailers’ number of outlets, 2022
- Market share
- Graph 40: leading retailers’ share of consumer spending on clothing, 2022
- Retail innovation
- Advertising and marketing activity
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Appendix
- Appendix – products covered, abbreviations and consumer research methodology and language usage
- Appendix – market size and forecast
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