Stay ahead of the curve and future-proof your business with Mintel’s UK Womenswear Market Report 2023. Our full report is packed with consumer-led market intelligence, the latest trends and consumer behaviours affecting your industry. Get a 360° view of the market including womenswear 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
- How the cost of living squeeze is impacting the womenswear market.
- How and where people have bought womenswear in the last 12 months.
- Changes in shopping priorities when buying womenswear in the last year.
- Attitudes towards shopping for womenswear and interest in the latest innovations.
Womenswear Market Outlook
The first quarter of the year has benefitted from significant pent-up demand as consumers updated their wardrobes for socialising and events. The cold weather also boosted the womenswear market as it drove sales of outerwear and warmer items. While women’s clothes market sales have so far remained resilient, ongoing inflammatory pressures coupled with rising household finances and higher interest rates will impact consumers spending on fashion as the year progresses. We will see a shift towards more savvy shopping behaviour as consumers seek out value for money.
- Womenswear market size: The inflation rate for women’s clothing remains high at 7.1% which has contributed to the £30.9 billion market value in the UK.
Women’s Clothing Market Trends and Opportunities
Digital shopping experience
While Younger Millennials have flocked back to stores to buy clothes for themselves, this young female demographic are also keen online fashion shoppers, with almost three-quarters purchased clothes via a smartphone in the last 12 months, highlighting the need for retailers in the womenswear market to provide a seamless shopping experience between the digital and the physical.
- Womenswear market opportunity: 73% of Gen Z women purchase have purchased clothes via a smartphone in the last 12 months
Women want better fitting clothes
Women are most interested in being able to buy better fitting clothing, and inconsistencies in sizing and issues with fit are one of the main barriers to purchasing fashion online, making this a key area for retailers to continue investing in. In response, retailers are trialing the latest technology to find solutions, such as size recommendation tools and AR virtual try-on tech.
- Women’s clothing market challenge: 38% of women would be interest in buying clothes that were customised or better fitted.
To learn how to connect with your audience, purchase our full UK Womenswear Market Report 2023. Discover lucrative innovation opportunities to help your business grow during times of financial uncertainty.
Leading Brands in the Womenswear Market
Primark, M&S, Shein, Zara, River Island, Boohoo/Boohoo Man, Net-a-Porter, Freemasonsm H&M, Lucy & Yak, Adidas.
Additional Features Included with Your Purchase
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Expert Insights from a Retail Industry Analyst
This report, written by Tamara Sender Ceron, a leading Retail industry analyst, delivers in-depth commentary and analysis to highlight current trends in the womenswear market and add expert context to the numbers.
Amid a challenging environment for the womenswear market, with women significantly more likely than men to have made major changes to the way they buy clothes in response to the cost-of-living crisis, retailers need to focus on ways to encourage spending. There is scope for retailers to tap into the feel good factor associated with buying new clothes, with close to seven in ten women agreeing that buying new clothes is a way to boost your mood. Creating more experiential and fun stores, as well as more personalised and differentiated offerings, can help drive brand loyalty as women shop around seeking value for money.”
Tamara Sender Ceron
Associate Director – Fashion Retail
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Overview
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Products covered in this Report
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Executive Summary
- The five-year outlook for womenswear
- Figure 1: Category outlook, 2023-28
- The market
- Womenswear sales will slow
- Figure 2: Market forecast for womenswear, 2017-27
- Clothing inflation remains high
- Companies and brands
- Demand for greater inclusivity drives genderless launches
- M&S is the most trusted fashion brand
- Figure 3: Attitudes towards and usage of selected brands, 2023
- The consumer
- Online usage heightened, but people return to stores
- Figure 4: How women bought clothing in the last 12 months, 2023
- Supermarkets and value retailers most popular
- Figure 5: Where women bought clothing for themselves in the last 12 months, 2023
- Women make big changes to their fashion shopping
- Figure 6: Savvy shopping behaviours when buying clothes for themselves, 2023
- Making in-store more convenient
- Figure 7: What would encourage women to shop in-store at one retailer over another, 2023
- Women want better fitting clothes
- Figure 8: Interest in the latest fashion innovations, 2023
- Making shopping more fun for women aged 45+
- Figure 9: Attitudes towards fashion, 2023
- The five-year outlook for womenswear
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Issues and Insights
- Impact of cost-of-living squeeze on womenswear
- What are the main opportunities for growth in womenswear?
- Evolving the role of stores
- Helping women find better fitting clothes
- Making shopping more fun for women aged 45+
- Helping women shop for fashion more sustainably
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Market Size and Performance
- Womenswear sales benefited from pent-up demand
- Figure 10: Market size for womenswear, 2017-22
- Womenswear retail landscape evolves
- Womenswear sales benefited from pent-up demand
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Market Forecast
- Five-year outlook for womenswear
- Figure 11: Category outlook, 2023-28
- Figure 12: Market forecast for womenswear, 2017-27
- Womenswear sales will slow
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- Figure 13: Consumer spending on womenswear, 2017-27
- Learnings from the last income squeeze
- Forecast methodology
- Five-year outlook for womenswear
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Market Drivers
- Catering to an ageing female population
- Figure 14: Trends in the age structure of the UK population, by gender, 2021 and 2026
- Women and obesity
- Clothing inflation remains high
- Figure 15: Overall CPIH and garments for men and women CPIH percentage change, 2022-23
- Inflation will continue to eat into consumer spending power over the course of 2023
- …but women feel the impact of price rises more than men
- Further interest rate increases will hit mortgage-holders
- High inflation and rising interest rates will compound the impact of the slowing recovery
- Women see themselves as worse off than men
- Consumer spending power will be curbed
- Low unemployment is helping underpin financial wellbeing
- Consumers’ financial wellbeing has fallen from the highs of 2021…
- Figure 16: Household financial wellbeing index, 2016-23
- …and most people are feeling the effects of price rises
- Catering to an ageing female population
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Launch Activity and Innovation
- New womenswear launches
- M&S launches new staples range
- Figure 17: M&S Icons range, 2023
- Freemans creates new own-brand womenswear
- Figure 18: Freestyle by Freemans, 2023
- Extending into new areas
- Next acquires lifestyle and furniture brands
- M&S expands third-party brands
- Figure 19: M&S Live Unlimited London third-party brand, 2023
- H&M opens flagship beauty store
- Figure 20: H&M Beauty, Oslo, 2023
- Sustainability
- Seasalt launches resale
- Crew partners with Thrift+ on resale
- H&M opens hyper-local Williamsburg store
- Figure 21: H&M Isla Hennes collection, 2023
- Lucy & Yak adds buyback and upcycling services
- Figure 22: Lucy & Yak Re: Yak initiative, 2023
- Inclusivity
- Bestseller introduces gender-neutral brand
- Uniqlo introduces more Made for All genderless clothing items
- Figure 23: LifeWear Made for All classic denim shirt, 2022
- Sportswear transforms into lifestyle clothing
- adidas introduces trend-led collection aimed at Gen Z
- Figure 24: adidas sportswear range, 2023
- H&M launches H&M Move activewear
- Figure 25: H&M Move Running and Outdoor training collection, 2023
- M&S launches Sports Edit Platform
- Figure 26: M&S Sports Edit platform, 2023
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Advertising and Marketing Activity
- Womenswear advertising spend
- Figure 27: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on women’s fashion, 2019-23
- Shein is the top advertiser
- Figure 28: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on women’s fashion, by top advertisers, 2019-22
- Digital accounts for majority of advertising spend
- Figure 29: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on women’s fashion, by media type, 2022
- Key campaigns
- Shein opens pop-ups
- M&S launches versatile fashion campaign
- Figure 30: M&S 2023 Spring campaign, 2023
- H&M partners with Mugler
- Figure 31: Mugler H&M collection, 2023
- Sosander uses TV ad to promote its summer range
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
- Womenswear advertising spend
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Brand Research
- Brand map
- Figure 32: Attitudes towards and usage of selected brands, 2023
- Key brand metrics
- Figure 33: Key metrics for selected brands, 2023
- Brand attitudes: M&S is worth paying more for
- Figure 34: Attitudes, by brand, 2023
- Brand personality: Shein closely associated with unethical
- Figure 35: Brand personality – Macro image, 2023
- Zara seen as stylish
- Figure 36: Brand personality – Micro image, 2023
- Brand analysis
- M&S is the most trusted fashion brand
- Shein grows more popular than Boohoo
- Zara seen as providing an excellent experience
- Brand map
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What They Buy
- High demand for footwear, but young women buy outerwear
- Figure 37: What fashion items women have bought in the last three months, 2020-23
- Sportswear revives
- Figure 38: What clothing items women have bought in the last three months, 2020-23
- Women spent less per shopping trip than men
- Figure 39: Amount spent on clothing items on last shopping trip, by gender, 2023
- Young women buy higher volumes, but spend less
- Figure 40: Number of clothing items purchased on last shopping trip, by gender, 2023
- High demand for footwear, but young women buy outerwear
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How They Shop
- Online usage heightened, but people return to stores
- Figure 41: How women bought clothing in the last 12 months, 2023
- In-store shopping revives
- Figure 42: How women bought clothing in the last 12 months, 2020-23
- Gen Zs use smartphones less than Millennials
- Figure 43: How women bought clothing in the last 12 months, by generation, 2023
- Young shop via multiple channels
- Figure 44: Repertoire of how women bought clothing in the last 12 months, by generation, 2023
- Online usage heightened, but people return to stores
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Where They Shop
- Supermarkets and value retailers most popular
- Figure 45: Where women bought clothing for themselves in the last 12 months, 2023
- Online-only retailers see big drop off
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- Figure 46: Where women bought clothing for themselves in the last 12 months, 2020-23
- Baby Boomers change where they shop
- Figure 47: Where women bought clothing for themselves in the last 12 months, by generation, 2023
- Gen Z and Younger Millennials shop around
- Figure 48: Repertoire of types of retailers where women have bought clothing in the last 12 months, by generation, 2023
- Supermarkets and value retailers most popular
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Savvy Shopping Behaviours
- Women make big changes to their fashion shopping
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- Figure 49: Savvy shopping behaviours when buying clothes for themselves, 2023
- Young Millennials become savvier
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- Figure 50: Savvy shopping behaviours done in the last 12 months when buying clothes for themselves, by generation, 2023
- While worst off cut back most, affluent still change behaviour
- Figure 51: Savvy shopping behaviours done in the last 12 months when buying clothes for themselves, by financial situation, 2023
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What Drives In-Store Shopping
- Making in-store more convenient
- Figure 52: What would encourage women to shop in-store at one retailer over another, 2023
- Older Millennials drawn to sustainable options in-store
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- Figure 53: What would encourage women to shop in-store at one retailer over another, by generation, 2023
- Retailers can benefit by adding more options
- Figure 54: TURF Analysis – Womenswear, 2023
- Methodology
- Making in-store more convenient
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Interest in the Latest Innovations
- Women want better fitting clothes
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- Figure 55: Interest in the latest fashion innovations, 2023
- Rewarding Gen Zs for engagement with a brand
- Figure 56: Interest in the latest fashion innovations, by generation, 2023
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Attitudes towards Fashion
- Making shopping more fun for women aged 45+
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- Figure 57: Attitudes towards fashion, 2023
- Growth of resale shifts Gen Zs attitudes to fashion
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Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
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Appendix – Forecast Methodology
- Market forecast
- Figure 58: Best- and worst-case forecast for consumer spending on womenswear, 2022-27
- Market drivers and assumptions
- Forecast methodology
- Market forecast
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