Chinese web shops like Shein and Temu seem to be catching up with the more traditional online fashion sellers. This became clear yesterday during a presentation by NIQ/GfK at Emerce Fashion in Amsterdam. Zalando in particular is feeling the pressure from new players throughout Europe.
The explanation for this is the frugal consumer, who is still struggling with inflation and high prices. Price sentiment peaked in 2023, and has since declined, but not yet disappeared.
According to Jeroen Blank and Randy Streng of the merged market researchers NIQ/GfK, price is the decisive factor when buying clothes. That is why the Dutch order from Chinese discounters or second-hand clothing sellers such as Vinted, a brand that is also emerging throughout Europe.
The online clothing market is volatile. The number of items we order online is consistently decreasing, only thanks to recent price increases the decline is not felt equally everywhere.
Zalando is still in first place in the Netherlands, but its turnover is declining in favor of Wehkamp, ​​Vinted, Zara and Shein. About You is also an important grower on the Dutch market.
Interesting are the figures of the last three months: Shein, Temu and Zara are clear growers, but Wehkamp, ​​Zalando, H&M and especially Primark have to take into account a loss of market share. The attraction of a Shein is the assortment and the offers.
Gen X and millennials are the biggest customers of Vinted and Shein in the Netherlands. Where noticeably more is spent at Vinted.
However, clothing sales are not entirely online. Online is currently around 45 percent of the Dutch market and that has not changed much in recent years. This means that there are still opportunities for physical boutiques, but they should actually focus on second-hand or cheap clothing. The online second-hand market is already almost 8 percent in the Netherlands.
NIQ/GfK sees that the newcomers are clearly expanding their market. Shein and Vinted have entered the cosmetics market and have already reached third and fourth place in the ranking in France.
Gfk also expects a lot from TikTok Shop, which may also be launched in the Netherlands next year. In the UK, TikTok has become a major threat to Shein. TikTok already has about half of Shein’s customers. Fashion is the second most ordered category and more importantly: the TikTokker spends more.
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