War, inflation & co.

Shopping fun is increasingly falling by the wayside

Brick-and-mortar stores score points because they are easy to browse and examine the goods.

(Bild: zephyr_p - stock.adobe.com)

Austrians still like to buy their clothes in stores, but less often and with less fun. Asian online portals and high rents are also putting pressure on the stationary clothing trade.

The following results were revealed by a study* conducted by the Federal Committee of the Fashion and Leisure Goods Trade in the Chamber of Commerce:

• For shoes, in-store shopping is still well ahead in the rankings (44 percent stationary, 16 percent online, 28 percent both). In the case of sporting goods, 27% prefer to visit a retailer. In this category, 17% do so primarily online and 23% use both options.
• In bricks-and-mortar retail, for example, the advice and the guarantee on the products are valued. According to the survey, bricks-and-mortar retailers generally score points because they are easy to browse and examine the goods. Last but not least, the opportunity to try on items is particularly emphasized.
• However, shopping is apparently no longer quite so much fun. Shopping is fun for 48% of respondents, while 23% see it as a chore. Reasons for this include the pandemic, war and inflation. People are also shopping less compared to 2018. 
• Other reasons could be an increase in working from home and the loss of importance of dress codes; a "casual" lifestyle is the order of the day.

• Customers were also asked how satisfied they are with popular Asian online portals such as Temu and Shein. The result: the quality and, above all, the handling of complaints is rated poorly. Customers shop there primarily because of the low prices - even if the survey also had a negative impact on the domestic labor market, for example.

• There were calls for tougher action to be taken against these portals. They should be treated as official importers in the EU, which would require them to comply with applicable environmental, safety and ethical standards. The abolition of the 150 euro duty-free limit as quickly as possible was also urged.

*On behalf of the Chamber, the Gallup Institute surveyed 1000 people about their purchasing behavior. The results showed that 38% of people preferred to buy their clothes in stores. 40 percent of customers did this both in stores and online. 16 percent of those surveyed preferred the web for their shopping trip.