The number of overseas consumers searching for British clothing and footwear retailers have surged as retailers improved their multi-channel strategy.
Figures from the British Retail Consortium and Google showed a 13 per cent rise in the number of overseas consumers looking for UK brands in the three months to the end of March compared to last year.
“It‘s particularly impressive to see the strength of women‘s clothing brands and our department stores shining through in these figures, said Helen Dickinson, Director General, British Retail Consortium. “A 77 per cent increase in searches from international customers seeking out UK department stores on their smartphones for example, demonstrates how taking advantage of new technology to reach an increasingly diverse audience can pay off. This innovation and good use of new technology explains why the UK is now the world‘s second biggest online retail exporter.”
Peter Fitzgerald, Retail Director, Google, said China and Russia continued to represent a huge opportunity for retailers, with the fastest query growth for UK apparel.
“Our fashion-led UK department stores see the fastest growth from overseas markets, demonstrating the consumer trend towards breadth of choice and availability,” he said.
