Clothing shopping online increases 73%

"Clothing is one of the large growth areas that we have seen on our site and we expect this growth to continue," explains Jaco Jonker, CEO of bidorbuy.

Men's clothing, shoes and accessories had a good year, with sales figures exceeding 130% year on year, indicating that men prefer the convenience of online shopping when purchasing fashion accessories, outfits and shoes. Growth has also been reported in women's clothing, but the most notable trend in women's fashion habits online is a shift towards purchasing more shoes and accessories than in previous years.

Natalie Reffo, fashion category manager, says the fashion trends online mimic the seasonal trends of real world retailers, with soaring sales of summer dresses, sunglasses, swimming costumes and sandals in the warmer months and increasing sales of boots and coats in the cooler months.

Wedding apparel and accessories, including wedding dresses and bridesmaids' dresses, has always been a busy section in the fashion category, and this year is no different, with an annual 20% growth in this area. There are around 5000 wedding dresses listed on bidorbuy at any one time, with the majority being new, custom-made dresses.

On one hand, the fashion conscious are increasingly turning to the world of online shopping to find trendy accessories, classic garments or unique vintage pieces. On the other, more and more young fashion designers are using bidorbuy as a platform to market themselves. The two trends indicate that the growth of online fashion shopping is set to continue, which is a distinctly positive trend for the South African fashion industry.