Greenlight Research: Menswear Still to Make its Mark Online

LONDON, October 17, 2011 -

The UK market for online fashion is expected to be worth £4.8bn by the end of 2011, according to market analyst Mintel. However, going by the latest independent analysis of online fashion-related search data, undertaken by leading specialist search and social marketing agency Greenlight, menswear has quite some ground to make up. Greenlight’s latest report ‘Fashion Retail - Issue 10‘, reveals that of the 1.1 million fashion-related searches conducted on Google UK in July, almost 50 per cent of terms related to womenswear compared to just 16 per cent for menswear.

The report which profiles search behaviour in the fashion retail sector found the number of searches for womenswear was over three times greater than for menswear, totalling 551,780 and 178,919 respectively, in July.

Dresses for the ladies and suits for the men

Dress-related search terms, for example ‘Dresses’, ‘Maxi dress’ and ‘Womens dresses’, cumulatively made up 69 per cent of womenswear queries.

Combined, the majority of meanswear-related searches (17 per cent) pertained to suits and included search terms such as ‘Mens suits’ (22,200), ‘Suits for men’ (5,400), and ‘Mens wedding suits’ (4,400).

ASOS most visible site for both women and menswear

Greenlight’s report analysed which brands, retailers and review sites were the most visible in both natural search* and paid media** results and thus had the greatest share of consideration when UK consumers searched for clothing on Google UK.

In natural search, ASOS was the most visible site for womenswear accounting for 90 per cent share of visibility. It was followed by HouseOfFraser with 68 per cent then Boohoo with 53 per cent.

ASOS was likewise the most visible site for menswear-related searches in natural search, accounting for 68 per cent share of visibility. Debenhams followed with 47 per cent and HouseOfFraser with 45 per cent.

In paid search, Very was the most visible advertiser for womenswear, achieving a 78 per cent share of voice whilst Jaeger, with 48 per cent was the most visible advertiser for menswear.

FrenchConnection most ’socially connected’ brand in the fashion sphere

Greenlight’s report also assessed which brands interacted well on social media networks Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. It also identified three of the top bloggers in the fashion sector in July, ranked according to authority and number of mentions.

FrenchConnection achieved the highest Klout score (81) and was the brand which attained the highest visibility across the social media platforms analysed, ahead of Amazon  (80) and ASOS (73).

Tavi Gevinson of thestylerookie.com, Cycle Chic and Scott Shuman of thesartorialist.com were the top 3 bloggers.

As winter approaches, Greenlight expects there will be a significant increase in the number of consumer online searches for seasonal fashion items, such as ‘coats’ and ‘hoodies’.

*Natural Search - Listings in search engine results pages that appear because of their relevance to the search terms

**Paid Media - an Internet advertising model used on websites, in which advertisers pay their host only when their ad is clicked. With search engines, advertisers typically bid on keyword phrases relevant to their target market.

About Greenlight:

Greenlight is a leading independent specialist search and social marketing firm, the largest of its kind in Europe and the fastest growing. With over 100 blue-chip clients including Santander, New Look, Thomas Cook, Sky and ghd, Greenlight is a leader in the search marketing space, and is recognized worldwide for its commitment to delivering record ROI for its clients and investing in the future of search.

Greenlight is considered the premier thought leader in the sector, publishing widely read industry reports, original research, speaking at trade events, and delivering a highly respected digital marketing training programme via the Greenlight Academy. Founded in 2001, Greenlight is headquartered in London, with offices in New York. www.greenlightsearch.com

To arrange an interview or for further information about this report contact:
Krishna Rao                                                 
T: +44(20)3326-6232                                   
E: krishna.rao@greenlightsearch.com          

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