In the United Kingdom, more women than men purchased clothing, shoes, and accessories over the internet in 2020. According to a survey, over 60 percent of women bought clothing items online within the previous 12 months. Moreover, this activity was more prevalent in the younger age groups across both genders.
UK shoppers' soft spot for e-fashion
Apparel and footwear was the most popular online shopping category in Great Britain in 2020, with more than half of individuals in British households reporting buying items in this category over the internet. Estimates suggest that in 2021, fashion retail e-commerce revenue in the UK amounted to nearly 41 billion U.S. dollars, a figure forecast to grow by more than 20 percent over the next five years.
Where do Britons buy fashion online?
Although consumers in the United Kingdom enjoy a wide range of sources for discovering and purchasing fashion items over the internet, a survey conducted in 2021 revealed that Amazon was by far the most popular online store for apparel shopping. Among homegrown players, the multinationals Mark & Spencer and Next stood out, occupying second and third place in the ranking.
Share of individuals who purchased clothes (including sports clothing), shoes and accessories online in Great Britain in 2020, by age and gender
Characteristic
Share of respondents
Men
49%
Women
62%
16-24
69%
25-34
68%
35-44
71%
45-54
66%
55-64
44%
65+
27%
Created with Highcharts 7.2.2Share of respondents49%49%62%62%69%69%68%68%71%71%66%66%44%44%27%27%MenWomen16-2425-3435-4445-5455-6465+
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%
Add this content to your personal favorites. These can be accessed from the favorites menu in the main navigation.
You have no right to use this feature.
Make sure to contact us if you are interested in scientific citation.
You can upgrade your account to enable this functionality for all statistics.
This feature is not available with your current account.Request access
* The source indicates: "The source of this information is the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OLS). The OLS is a multi-purpose survey developed by ONS for use by government departments, other public bodies, charities, academics and the media. It provides a fast, cost effective and reliable way of obtaining information on topics too brief to warrant their own survey."
** The Opinions and Lifestyle Survey is carried out by interviewing a nationally representative sample of households in Great Britain. About 1,800 households are sampled each month and estimates are subject to sampling variability, as are those from all sample surveys.
***The source indicates: "Online purchases were measured in previous releases as taking place within the last 12 months, therefore estimates from previous years are not strictly comparable with 2020."
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.
Office for National Statistics (UK). (August 7, 2020). Share of individuals who purchased clothes (including sports clothing), shoes and accessories online in Great Britain in 2020, by age and gender [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved February 19, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/286096/clothes-and-sports-goods-online-purchasing-in-great-britain-by-demographic/
Office for National Statistics (UK). "Share of individuals who purchased clothes (including sports clothing), shoes and accessories online in Great Britain in 2020, by age and gender." Chart. August 7, 2020. Statista. Accessed February 19, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/286096/clothes-and-sports-goods-online-purchasing-in-great-britain-by-demographic/
Office for National Statistics (UK). (2020). Share of individuals who purchased clothes (including sports clothing), shoes and accessories online in Great Britain in 2020, by age and gender. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: February 19, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/286096/clothes-and-sports-goods-online-purchasing-in-great-britain-by-demographic/
Office for National Statistics (UK). "Share of Individuals Who Purchased Clothes (including Sports Clothing), Shoes and Accessories Online in Great Britain in 2020, by Age and Gender." Statista, Statista Inc., 7 Aug 2020, https://www.statista.com/statistics/286096/clothes-and-sports-goods-online-purchasing-in-great-britain-by-demographic/
Office for National Statistics (UK), Share of individuals who purchased clothes (including sports clothing), shoes and accessories online in Great Britain in 2020, by age and gender Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/286096/clothes-and-sports-goods-online-purchasing-in-great-britain-by-demographic/ (last visited February 19, 2025)
Share of individuals who purchased clothes (including sports clothing), shoes and accessories online in Great Britain in 2020, by age and gender [Graph], Office for National Statistics (UK), August 7, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/286096/clothes-and-sports-goods-online-purchasing-in-great-britain-by-demographic/
Profit from additional features with an Employee Account
Please create an employee account to be able to mark statistics as favorites.
Then you can access your favorite statistics via the star in the header.
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.