Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Inflation and Apparel Report | Revuze
Back to all reports

Inflation and Apparel Report

    Inside You'll Find
  • Packaging Innovation Drives Engagement
  • Hair Loss Solutions Are Gaining Momentum
  • Hydration and Smoothness Are Essential Benefits

Overview

During the past year, inflation and prices soared while wages remained mostly flat, affecting how consumers shop. We were curious to understand how these changes affected consumers’ shopping behavior, so we took a deep dive into data from the apparel industry.

Interestingly, we found fascinating relations between inflation and what it means for consumers when they shop. Read on to discover how consumers reacted, what it means for your brand, and how to position yourself in this new market.

 

Background

As a result of the ongoing supply chain crisis kickstarted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, the world economy has changed significantly.

A big focus of these changes has been on the soaring inflation rates, reaching double digits in the UK and a peaking at 9.1% in the US during June and began to steadily decline, ultimately reaching 6% at the start of 2023.

And so, with prices rising all across the board and wages stagnating, households’ budgets and disposable income have been effectively reduced, ushering in a cost of living crisis.

This, in turn, naturally affected consumers’ spending habits, as pricing and value for money become key factors when shopping for items – from groceries to electronics.

Following our in-depth cosmetics industry report, we decided to delve into the apparel industry, examining how customers reacted to this new reality. In particular, this report gets granular with the footwear.

US | Monthly Inflation Rates

US inflation rates started at 7.5% in Jan’2022 and reached a peak of 9.1% in Jun’2022. Following this peak, inflation rates began to steadily decline, ultimately reaching 6% at the start of 2023.

monthly inflation rates

Methodology

In this original research study, we’ve examined how these circumstances have affected consumer behavior, specifically within the apparel ecommerce industry.

We collected and analyzed over 115,000 online reviews of apparel products from all brands from major online retailers, including:

  • Amazon
  • Kohl’s
  • Dick’s Sporting Goods
  • Under Armour

Our analysis focuses on the period between January 2022-February 2023. Product categories we looked into include Top Bottom Footwear Given that the footwear category was most impacted, this report also provides a granular breakdown of how inflation impacted footwear types.

How we analyzed our data?

  • With the help of Revuze’s AI, we managed to analyze our data by specific topics. Since we’re concerned about how inflation and the cost of living crisis affected consumers’ behavior, we sliced the data by Price and Value for Money (VFM).

 

  • Then, we looked at two interesting metrics per each apparel category – volume and sentiment. What does looking at these metrics under the Price and VFM lenses mean? For volume, it means consumers mention price/VFM in their reviews while measuring sentiment helps us understand if people are satisfied or dissatisfied with the price/VFM the product provides.
  • We then checked these metrics for each month, looking for any correlations with inflation. Here’s what we discovered.

Sentiment main findings

In the next section, we’ll explore strong positive and negative correlations between inflation rates and and apparel categories. A positive correlation tells us customers are delighted with the price/ VFM these products offer, while a negative one tells us the opposite.

 

Sentiment for Tops correlated neutrally with inflation (0.04)

Tops Sentiment and Inflations

Unlock the Full Report

Download the Apparel and Inflation Report to Learn How It Impacts Consumer Purchasing Decisions.

Key Objectives

Apparel
Industry
Apparel
Sources
Sources
Amazon, Kohl's, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Under Armour
Time Period
Time Period
January 2022-February 2023
Reviews
Voice of Customer Data
115K

Uncover More Reports

Dedicated Action Hubs

Research and Take Action

Product Hub

AI-Powered Actions for Smarter Product Development
Explore ProductHub

Marketing Hub

Redefine your marketing strategy with generative AI-driven actions
Explore MarketingHub

CI Hub

Get an instant AI-powered view of your entire Voice of Customer with a click of a button.
Explore CIHub

Ecomm Hub

Unlock Real-Time Recommendations and Actions Across Your Entire eCommerce Ecosystem
Explore EcommHub

Reporting Hub

Empower your business with accurate intelligence to drive brand or product success
Explore ReportingHub