Around 47 per cent consumers prefer offline stores for fashion purchases, says report

As per a survey titled ‘How India Buys Apparel,’ published by the community platform LocalCircles, physical stores/markets have emerged as the favoured option for fashion shopping.

The report states that 47% of customers still go to malls or stores to try them on and make a purchase, 40% of customers prefer to make a good combination of in-store and online purchases, 4% of customers buy them exclusively online, and 9% of customers have them custom made by a local tailor.

“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,” said Sachin Taparia, founder of LocalCircles.

The survey claimed that regardless of whether a person lives in an urban or rural location, having access to digital devices and the internet has made it possible for the majority of people to purchase online. Online shopping has begun to provide customers a more comprehensive, engaging, and customised purchasing experience. Nonetheless, internet sales remain a high single-digit percentage of total garment sales.

The survey states that although consumers typically make their first purchases at a store, they also said that they prefer to shop online for recurrent purchases of branded goods since they are already familiar with the fit and quality.

According to the survey, the ability of online platforms selling clothing to deliver goods more quickly and offer an improved online shopping and return experience will influence how many customers choose to purchase clothing exclusively through these platforms.