Fashion e-commerce in the United Kingdom (UK) - statistics & facts
A strong love for fashion is inextricably rooted in the history of the United Kingdom. From British royalty influencing commoners with their outfits to the cultural revolution of the 1960s that catapulted British styles worldwide, UK fashion is constantly undergoing transformation. Among the latest developments shaping the fashion world is e-commerce. In 2024, online sales of fashion items would collectively account for close to a third of e-commerce revenue in the United Kingdom, amounting to almost 40 billion U.S. dollars. In the same year, more than 28.5 million Britons bought fashion over the internet, a figure forecast to grow to over 32.1 million by 2028.
Despite scandals over environmental and worker violations since mid-2020, and an 80-million-British-pound false advertising lawsuit settled by the company in 2022, Boohoo’s popularity among consumers has not yet suffered extreme backlash. In terms of online visibility, Boohoo’s website, boohoo.com, still ranked among the UK’s fashion websites with the largest shares of voice in 2024. Leading in this ranking was Next, followed by ASOS and e-commerce giant Amazon.
Alongside market leaders, emerging platforms like TikTok Shop are now available for consumers to purchase apparel. Shifts in social commerce trends as well as the continued entry of new tech like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR) in e-commerce will only lead to the continued growth and development of fashion e-commerce in the UK.
Fashion e-shopper demographics
Among those 28.5 million online fashion shoppers, the mass majority were younger consumers. With Gen Z’s affinity for the internet, it comes as no surprise that nearly 50 percent of Gen Z shoppers did most of their apparel shopping online, but Gen Z consumers were not actually the group most likely to do so. In the UK, about 70 percent of millennials from ages 27 to 42 were the ones most often renewing and refreshing their wardrobes with the aid of the internet. An even higher share of millennials bought clothing online on a monthly basis. Among online shoppers of all ages in the country, women made up a higher percentage than men when it came to buying clothing, shoes, and jewelry.The stores sewing online fashion
Crowned alongside Milan, New York, and Paris as one of the world's fashion capitals, London is home to the best-known British designers and brands. This influence seems to have carried over into the digital world, with London-based ASOS and Marks & Spencer ranking as the most visited fashion and apparel websites in the UK in 2023. Even so, online retailers have sprung up across the country. The well-known Boohoo group, headquartered in Manchester, operates seven brands—including PrettyLittleThing and NastyGal.Despite scandals over environmental and worker violations since mid-2020, and an 80-million-British-pound false advertising lawsuit settled by the company in 2022, Boohoo’s popularity among consumers has not yet suffered extreme backlash. In terms of online visibility, Boohoo’s website, boohoo.com, still ranked among the UK’s fashion websites with the largest shares of voice in 2024. Leading in this ranking was Next, followed by ASOS and e-commerce giant Amazon.
Alongside market leaders, emerging platforms like TikTok Shop are now available for consumers to purchase apparel. Shifts in social commerce trends as well as the continued entry of new tech like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR) in e-commerce will only lead to the continued growth and development of fashion e-commerce in the UK.
