With millions of eCommerce users in the UK online menswear brand Spoke investigated men’s online shopping and return habits.
They surveyed 2,000 UK men with different socio-economic backgrounds who regularly shop online to find their most common habits.
20% of Men Admitted to Never Returning Ill-Fitting Items of Clothing
The survey discovered that 20% of men never return ill-fitting items of clothing, and a further 49% of men had a laissez-faire approach to returning ill-fitting clothes, regardless of the price. In fact, 40% of men agreed that price wouldn’t play a part in returning an item anyway. That means that only 31% of men return poorly fitting clothes.
The main reasons for putting up with ill-fitting clothes are:
- I can’t be bothered (17%)
- I’ll give it to a friend or family member instead (15%)
- I keep it because it might fit me one day (14%)
- I don’t know how to return it (10%)
Even with the options of a parcel drop-off or included return labels to make it as easy and hassle-free as possible, 16% of men still said they wouldn’t return the clothing.
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West Midlands men are more likely to return ill-fitting clothes (60%) of all the regions. However, 81% of men living in the East Midlands admitted to never returning online clothes purchases.
20% of men in London said that they would rather gift clothes to friends or family members that didn’t fit rather than return them. Of all the occupations, community and social service workers were the most giving, with 25% donating their ill-fitting clothes to loved ones – generosity must be in the job description!
20% of men also kept ill-fitting clothes, hoping they’ll fit them one day.
Trousers and Jeans are the Most Commonly Returned Item
Trousers and jeans are notoriously difficult to buy and get the fit right. So it wasn’t a surprise to learn that they made up 15% of returns. And the most common reason for the return was poor fitting.
Men Spend an Average of £290 a Year on Clothes They Never Wear
On average, men spend more than £200 on online clothing purchases a month and £290 a year on clothes they never wear.
It was also found that men in Northern Ireland spend the most on clothes that never get worn, with an average of £475 a year, compared to East Midlands men, who spend only an average of £138.
While it wastes the money they make, hanging on to the clothes or giving them away to a friend might not be such a bad thing, as an estimated 50% of returns never make it back into a clothing company’s inventory. In the worst cases, these clothes go on to be incinerated or to landfill. So, whether they are aware or not, UK men might actually be doing the environment a favour by not returning ill-fitting clothing, especially if they donate them to charity.
1/3 of Men Don’t Listen to Friends or Family Opinions When They Shop
When it comes to men’s online shopping habits, the study discovered that 42% of men shop for clothes once a month or less, and when shopping for clothes online, 1/3 of men agree that the opinions of friends and family and fashion trends are unimportant and wouldn’t influence their choices. Typically, men look for these main factors:
- Size/Fit (53%)
- Quality (50%)
- Comfort (47%)
Another factor that 25% of men consider before buying an item of clothing is ‘how easy it is to return an item’.
On average, 57% of men will only sometimes compare clothing prices from one site to another, while 9% never compare prices and will simply buy the first item they see that they were looking for. The savviest shoppers appeared to be in Northern Ireland, where 48% said they would always compare prices to get the best deal possible.
Stereotypically, it’s believed that men want to shop and get in and out of stores as quickly as possible. But, while this may be true for some when it comes to online shopping, 41% take up to 30 minutes at an online store before making a purchase, and 27% said they take between 30 minutes to an hour to shop for clothes online. In fact, only 10% claimed they take less than 5 minutes at an online store before buying clothes.
Northern Ireland Makes the Most Online Purchases
Interestingly, men in Northern Ireland were more likely to shop for clothes online every day than in any other region in the UK. Another study showed that people in Northern Ireland also made the most online purchases during the 2020 lockdown, with 88% of online orders made compared to 69% of English, 74% of Scottish and 79% of Welsh shoppers.
On average – and this may not come as a surprise – London men spend 3x more than most savvy spenders in the East Midlands (£360 a month).
