Survey: Brand loyalty strong among clothing, footwear shoppers
Brand loyalty is top-of-mind for consumers when it comes to choosing retailers for clothing and footwear, but pricing is still important.
According to Market Force’s new Clothing & Footwear Panel Study, which surveyed more than 5,400 consumers, value for money was the top factor for choosing a clothing retailer at 76.3%. This was followed by atmosphere at physical retail stores (38%), ability to purchase merchandise on a website (36%), and service provided at physical retail locations (34.4%). More than six-in-10 shoppers (61.7%) said they prefer in-store clothing shopping to doing so online.
Kohl’s was named as “favorite clothing retailer” by 8.3% of those surveyed. Another store than those listed was ranked second (7.6%), followed by T.J. Maxx (6.1%), Walmart (5.9%), Macy’s (5.2%), Ross (4.6%) and Target (4.5%).
While 54.8% of consumers said that price increases would change their clothing spending habits, 79.4% said a price increase would not lead them to change the styles or brands they like, signaling strong brand loyalty in the category.
In the footwear category, DSW (11.7%) and Nike (10.8%) were listed by consumers as the top retailers, behind “other” (19.8%). Skechers (7%), Famous Footwear (5%) and Kohl’s (4.9%) followed.
“After loyalty, economics factors kick-in,” said Market Force. “The study reveals that brands could capture more consumer spending with better promotions and pricing. Brands that are yet to earn significant consumer loyalty should be aware that market leverage can be attained by using promotions to build trial.”
In the footwear category, DSW (11.7%) and Nike (10.8%) were listed by consumers as the top retailers, behind “other” (19.8%). Skechers (7%), Famous Footwear (5%) and Kohl’s (4.9%) followed.
For consumers, more promotions (26.1%) and better pricing and value (26.1%) were listed as the top changes that would get them to increase their footwear purchase frequency, followed by a larger product selection (23%).
Footwear preferences are less sensitive to price changes according to the survey. Eight-five percent of respondents said price increases would not change the type or brand of footwear they purchased, and 61.5% said price increases would not change how often they spend.