In-store apparel shopping back in fashion: LocalCircles

Physical stores/markets have once again become the preferred choice for apparel buyers in India who had switched to online shopping during the pandemic, as per a report by community platform LocalCircles.

Titled, ‘How India Buys Apparels, the report reveals, around 47 per cent of consumers continue to shop for clothes in either a mall or store, as they prefer to try these by purchasing. Around 40 per cent of consumers prefer to balance their in-store purchases with online purchases while 4 per cent consumers primarily purchase them online and 9 per cent consumers get them custom made from our local tailor.

Online apparel buying in India is likely to stagnate in the next few years unless retailers continue offering higher discounts, says Sachin Taparia, Founder, LocalCircles.

According to the report, access to digital devices and the internet has enabled the masses to experience online shopping irrespective of whether they live in urban or rural areas. This has boosted the personalised shopping experience of the customer. However, as compared to the overall apparel sales, online sales continue to be in the range of high single-digit percentage.

Customers generally opt for online shopping for the repeat purchases of branded apparels as the fit and quality are already known. However, they prefer to make their first purchases in store.
Though some customer prefer buying apparels online due to the discounts offered on these followed by ease of exchange and return, adds Taparia

Whether online platforms will become the preferred mode for apparel shopping in future depends on how fast these platforms can deliver and a better shopping experienced provided by them, adds the report.