Austrian stationary fashion retailers can breathe a sigh of relief because, according to a recent survey, Austrians still prefer to shop in stores. However, domestic online retailers have to assert themselves against Asian online portals. This was found out by the study “Fashion Retail: Shopping Behavior and Future Prospects”. The Gallup Institute surveyed 1,000 people in Austria between the ages of 16 and 75 in October and November 2024 on behalf of the Federal Committee for the Trade in Fashion and Leisure Articles.
Brick-and-mortar retail scores points with respondents’ need to “try, touch and look at” the goods (34 percent). A third (33 percent) appreciate the “large selection and good range” as well as the advice and personal contact in the stores.
Requirements
“People continue to enjoy buying fashion in stores; they want to see, touch and try the goods. At the same time, we are seeing a structural change: online retail is tending to become more important, Asian online portals are entering the market, especially in the fast fashion sector. It is important right now to create clear framework conditions that guarantee fair competition for all providers,” summarizes Günther Rossmanith, Federal Chairman of the Federal Committee for the Trade in Fashion and Leisure Articles, in a press release.
Consumers also have expectations of retail, with a majority (87 percent) preferring retailers that have brick-and-mortar stores and online shops. Retailtainment, i.e. the combination of shopping and entertainment, is very popular with almost a third (30 percent); among younger respondents (16 to 30 years old) even more (43 percent).
Waiting areas that offer WiFi and drinking water are valued by almost a third (63 percent), as are an “interactive changing room with a magic mirror” (56 percent) and fashion experts who can offer classic consulting services (57 percent).
Stationary is ahead of online for all segments
Broken down by segment, it was found that 38 percent of clothing was purchased in-store in the last twelve months and 16 percent was purchased online. 40 percent of respondents did this both in stores and online. When it comes to shoes, the preference for stationary retail is even stronger at 44 percent; online accounted for 16 percent and both for 28 percent.
For sporting goods, the preference decreases slightly with 27 percent stationary, 17 percent online and 23 percent for both. Overall, leather goods are purchased less frequently, but the preference for stationary retail is pronounced at almost 50 percent; A “good fifth” of those surveyed chose online and a third chose both.
In general, people buy less
While the majority associate shopping with positive feelings (almost half, 48 percent, “enjoy shopping”), people have been shopping less frequently since the last survey in 2018 (before the corona pandemic): they bought 71 in 2018 percent of those surveyed wore clothes several times a month or at least once a quarter, in 2024 it was only 61 percent. For shoes the number fell from 41 percent to 33 percent, for sporting goods from 34 percent to 26 percent and for leather goods from 14 percent to 11 percent.
Online is facing competition from Asian online portals
Asian online portals, which primarily offer cheap fast fashion, should be taken seriously as competition: half of those surveyed who buy fashion online said they had already shopped there. Here Temu is ahead (31 percent); Wish and Shein each come in at about half this value.
The main items purchased are clothing, fashion and shoes (61 percent), followed at some distance by small furniture and decorative items for the home (26 percent) and cell phone accessories/cell phones (25 percent).
The opportunity for domestic online retail lies in the service, the quality of the products and the handling of complaints; 40 percent of those surveyed are not satisfied with this with the Asian online portals. “These are unusually high proportions that we do not know from experience in traditional fashion retail,” emphasizes Rossmanith.
Further arguments for shopping in Austrian retailers are “no problems with guarantees and warranties” (77 percent) and the “better quality of the products” (75 percent) as well as the fact that domestic suppliers “pay their taxes in Austria and create jobs here (67 percent). Unauthorized substances in the goods of Asian online portals also make consumers rely on Austrian retailers (62 percent).
While almost a fifth (18 percent) of those surveyed stated that they shop less or no longer at all on such platforms and around three quarters fear that jobs will be lost in Austria due to foreign online retailers, almost half (45 percent) continue to buy “without remorse”. these platforms. The reason they gave was that you “have to watch your money” (35 percent) and that some products are not available at Austrian retailers (34 percent).
In general, however, Austrian retail is important to those surveyed: half (51 percent) prefer to buy “some products” from local retailers, and almost a third (31 percent) try to “always shop in a way that benefits the Austrian economy.” “.
Demands of the Austrian fashion retail sector
As far as competition with Asian online platforms is concerned, the Federal Committee for Trade in Fashion and Leisure Articles of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ) is calling on the EU to take action, especially with regard to the 150 euro duty-free limit: This currently applies to shipments with a value of less than 150 euros, whereby Individual orders from the Asian online platforms are “chunked” in order to fall below this limit.
“We are calling for the 150 euro duty-free limit to be abolished as quickly as possible in order to create fair competitive conditions for Austrian trade,” said Rossmanith. In addition, the liability of these online platforms must be extended to include customs duties and import sales tax, regardless of the order value.
The EU customs reform should also ensure that online platforms, as official importers, are also responsible for ensuring that the environmental, safety and ethical standards applicable in the EU are adhered to. “Our federal committee expressly welcomes these European efforts and calls for their rapid implementation. “Time is of the essence,” says Rossmanith emphatically.