There was a time when just about all clothing and footwear purchases for the family were made within the confines of a brick-and-mortar store. And any given apparel category was dominated by a handful of major players. Shopping for athletic footwear? Have your pick of Nike, Adidas, or Reebok. Browsing for jeans? Levi’s, Wrangler, and Calvin Klein dominated the market. 

As with other types of products, consumers have increasingly embraced the convenience of browsing and buying clothing and footwear without leaving home – a trend that’s only picked up since the onset of the pandemic. 

What’s more, new, direct-to-consumer apparel and footwear brands seem to pop up overnight. Barriers to entry have never been lower, which certainly creates opportunities for emerging brands. But it also creates fierce competition, as shoppers have more options than ever before – and many won’t hesitate to jump ship for the next big thing. Our latest research found that a mere 25% of apparel and footwear shoppers consider themselves to be brand loyal.