Ecommerce Fashion Insights and Trends (2025 Data)
The $238 billion spent on fashion online in the U.S. this year reflects the rising demand of Fashion online. The dominance of Gen Z and Millennials on platforms like Instagram and TikTok is shaping the online shopping landscape. Vogue even put up a post headlining “Gen Z broke the marketing funnel!”
We have compiled some eye opening statistics related to fashion purchases on the web in this post. We are touching areas like social commerce, impulse buying, AI-generated campaigns and more.
Detailed Ecommerce Fashion Statistics
Fashion accounts for 20% of all retail sales in the United States
Fashion sales are responsible for 20% of the online shopping in the United States, which translates to $238 billion in sales in 2024. Fashion is the second biggest contributor to online retail sales in the US after the DIY/Hardware sector.
This share is estimated to fall by a fraction to 19.5% by 2027.
Source: Statista.
20.9% of worldwide fashion sales happen online
20.9% of people globally prefer buying fashion online, and the trend is nearly the same in the U.S., where 20.7% of consumers choose to shop for fashion online.
Asia has the highest rate of online fashion shoppers at 24%, while Africa has the lowest at just 4.2%.
The second-hand apparel market is valued at $260.2 billion
The global secondhand apparel market is valued at $260.24 billion as of 2025. It is expected to account for 11.3% of the global apparel market by 2026 and to reach a $522 billion market valuation by 2030.
Online marketplaces and tech are the main drivers behind the growth of resale. About 52% of consumers bought secondhand apparel in 2024, and 57% said they skipped purchases if they couldn’t find a good deal. Resale also gives brands more control over the quality of used products in circulation.
As of 2025, 153 US fashion brands have resale listings on their e-commerce sites, marking a 325% increase since 2021.
The ‘buy new’ model is being challenged. Brands should explore launching their own resale programs to control their brand image, capture a new customer segment, and meet sustainability demands.
Source: Kings Research, McKinsey, and Deloitte.
Asia is the biggest fashion market in the world by revenue
Asia leads the fashion e-commerce market with $520.93 billion in revenue, while Africa has the lowest revenue at $8.86 billion, creating a gap of $512.07 billion between the two regions.
Rising incomes, growing cities, and high smartphone use in countries like South Korea, China, and Japan drive Asia’s eCommerce growth. This makes it easy for people to shop for clothes online. Shein, a fashion brand started in China, has played a big part in this growth. In 2024, its app was downloaded 235 million times around the world.
Source: Statista.
Average age of online fashion shoppers
The median shopper age shows that shoppers in the 25-to-34 age range still make up the largest group of online fashion shoppers at 27.6%. Shoppers aged 35 to 44 make up the second largest group with 20.7%.
| Age Group | Share of online fashion shoppers |
|---|---|
| 18 to 24 | 18.8% |
| 25 to 34 | 27.6% |
| 35 to 44 | 20.7% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.6% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.4% |
| Above 65 | 5.8% |
Source: Digitalcommerce360.
Fashion is the top-selling category on social media
Around 62% of shoppers said they bought clothing and accessories. Beauty and personal care products were next, with 41% of people buying them.
Here is a table showing what people prefer to buy on social media:
| Category | Share of online shoppers |
|---|---|
| Clothing and accessories | 62% |
| Beauty and personal care | 41% |
| Electronics and gadgets | 33% |
| Digital products | 24% |
| Home decor and furniture | 24% |
| Fitness and wellness products | 23% |
| Food and beverages | 23% |
Source: YouGov.
Gen Z and Millennials browse social media mainly for fashion
74% of Gen Zs and Millennials shop and browse products via social media, mainly on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
Nearly half of Gen Zs and Millennials who shop and browse products on social media do so weekly. 80% do this at least once a month, mainly for fashion.
Source: AusPost Ecommerce Report.
Artificial intelligence’s influence on the fashion sector
McKinsey estimates that generative AI could add between $150 billion and $275 billion to the fashion industry over the next five years. From product design and development to 3D imaging and lifelike model generation for campaigns, AI is set to transform how fashion brands operate and engage consumers.
Source: McKinsey.
United States shoppers now spend over $220 per order on online fashion
The United States has the highest average order value in the fashion e-commerce industry, exceeding $220. The United Arab Emirates comes next at around $175, while Latvia trails with an average of $146 per order.
Source: Statista.
Fashion is the most popular category for impulse purchases
Fast fashion brands influence this behaviour by making appealing clothes affordable for many consumers. In a GWI survey of over 11k ecommerce shoppers, it was revealed that 40% purchased clothing and apparel on impulse.
Source: GWI.
Half of the European population buys fashion online
46% of EU internet users aged between 16-74 years bought or ordered ‘clothes (including sportswear), shoes and accessories’ online. The surveyed population was divided into five age groups, and fashion emerged as the top online purchase category across all of them.
Source: Eurostat.
Fashion merchants are seeing a sizeable increase in GMV from online sales
Fashion and apparel brands using BigCommerce saw strong growth from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024. Globally, their gross merchandise value (GMV) rose by 10.7%, driven in part by a 7.2% increase in order volume during the same period.
A key factor behind this GMV growth was a 3.1% rise in average order value (AOV), which went from $160 to $165. This suggests that shoppers in 2024 may be feeling more confident financially and are more willing to spend online.
Source: BigCommerce
More Insights On Fashion Ecommerce
- Social commerce revenue will reach $821 billion in 2025, a good 17% increase from 2024. This revenue will further cross the trillion mark by 2028. These healthy gains matter a lot for the ecommerce fashion sector as the majority of social shopping happens for fashion products. (Statista)
- On average, consumers who purchase e-commerce apparel spend $26.75 more per order than when buying other categories of goods online.
- 81% of consumers prefer working with companies that offer personalized experiences. (Hyken)
- The potential market expenditure of the US apparel sector in the metaverse is $594 billion. (Statista)
- The primary reasons for buying secondhand clothing are lower prices and sustainability. (Statista)
- 81% of fashion e-commerce site traffic comes from consumers using mobile devices. (SellersCommerce)
- Consumers shopping for apparel are 5.08% more likely to use a mobile device than for general online shopping. (Outerbox)
- 39% of consumers aged 18 to 44 purchased secondhand apparel using online social platforms in the past year. (Statista).
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