The Apparel Retail industry has been among the hardest hit during the coronavirus pandemic. Since April, however, with the release of the stimulus checks, the Apparel industry has started to show signs of resurgence.
Most states have reopened and many states are looking to reopen their malls. A near 18% increase in retail sales in May suggests quarantine fatigue, reports New York Times. People are looking to leave their houses and interact more with others.
Fortune reports that clothing stores experience over 180% sales increase in May compared to April’s sales, with department stores alone growing almost 40%. Despite the month over month increase, however, year over year still shows a decline.
Digital and online retail continues to be a hallmark in connecting with customers. Consumer sentiment shows that many are still hesitant to return fully to normal behaviors and experiences.
Apparel Retail Industry Metrics
According to our dataset, this week was not the best for the Apparel industry. While the average order value increased 3% from this past Sunday, June 21 to yesterday, June 25 when compared to the 2019 data, conversion rates fell 31% and the number of transactions also dropped 26%.
The number of new users decreased 14%. Mobile usage, however, increased 22%.
While this week showed some signs of slowing for the Apparel industry, there is still hope of a resurgence. As most places reopen and the weather gets hotter – and some of us have a need for a new wardrobe to replace clothes that no longer fit, as Wall Street Journal reports – the Apparel retail industry will bounce back.
As stores open across the globe, many retailers have seen a surge in customers flocking to brick-and-mortar to recapture a sense of normalcy in face-to-face shopping. While a digital presence is the way forward, stores will benefit from an omnichannel experience to appeal to customers.
NetElixir Updates
As we move further along the road to recovery, NetElixir is reducing our thrice-weekly retail analytics updates to once a week. Every Friday, we will update you with the latest data regarding ecommerce sales and online shopper behavior as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
Our Reimagine Tomorrow series brings you experts from various fields to share their knowledge on new strategies, technology & innovations, and actionable insights for navigating the coronavirus and beyond. Professor George Day will speak at the third episode in our series, presenting on How Vigilant Organizations Gain An Edge on Thursday, July 9 at 2 PM ET. Register at https://www.netelixir.com//experience/.
NetElixir is proud to announce our first virtual holiday readiness summit. Connecting the Dots: Holiday Readiness Summit for Retailers is a ½ day summit that brings together preeminent retail industry leaders, channel marketing specialists, supply chain experts, and strategic thinkers from Google, Microsoft, UPS, Columbia Business School, and more. Through this webinar, we aspire to help retail and business leaders rethink their holiday approach. We aim to empower leaders to innovate new strategies to move forward during this unpredictable year. RSVP for this summit on August 13th and follow us on social for more updates.
Read More On Retail Ecommerce During the Coronavirus Pandemic
You can join the conversation on social media using #NxInsights. If you have any further questions, please feel free to email us at shareinsights@netelixir.com.
For further reading, you can see our prior retail analytics updates on retail ecommerce and online shopping behavior:
- Road to Recovery: Lessons from Mid-Size Retailers, from Friday, June 19
- Day by Day: Ecommerce Growth Across Categories, from Wednesday, June 17
- Meet the Panel of Retail Executives, from Monday, June 15
- Retail Ecommerce Sales Updates, from Friday, June 12
