Flemish people have spent less money on clothing this winter than last year.
Compared to the winter season in 2022, 56.7 percent of traders have sold less this year. This is evident from a survey by Unizo and Mode Unie. But they are still positive about the sales that start in a week.
The geopolitical situation, inflation and long late summer temperatures made us less enthusiastic about buying winter items in 2023. This is evident from a survey by Mode Unie and Unizo among 155 respondents. “The negative figure is mainly due to the poor start to the sales season in September and October in combination with generally gloomy world news,” said Isolde Delanghe, director of Mode Unie.
The fact that we buy more consciously also means that we buy less. “This trend has been increasing since corona. People are distancing themselves from fast fashion and prefer to buy more sustainable or of better quality so that it lasts longer. As a result, they buy fewer pieces and therefore spend less budget on clothing,” it said.
Sales
Although we are buying less, fashion retailers remain hopeful that they will still attract bargain hunters with the sales – which start on January 3. 59.7 percent even think they will sell as much or better than in January 2022. 40.3 percent are more likely to adopt a wait-and-see attitude and expect lower sales. What they hope to make a difference with: a good quality offering and strong service.
“Since corona, people have distanced themselves from fast fashion and prefer to buy more sustainable or higher quality so that it lasts longer”
Isolde Delanghe
United Fashion Director
The survey also shows that independent fashion retailers will on average start with a sales discount of 32 percent, which is in line with recent years.
And if you can’t wait for the sales, you can already enjoy the tie-in sales. These are now in full swing, Mode Unie said. 45.5 percent indicate that they participated in tie-in sales in December, which is in line with previous years. Although there is also a small change there. In the past, traders started their tie-in sales three weeks before the sales. Now they choose to start the tie-in sales just a week and a half before the sales. “We have had good weather for a long time, so they try to give as few discounts as possible in advance to have sufficient margin,” Delanghe responds.