A cradle of high and fast fashion
Over the past decades, Spain has seen local designers and couture brands become household names around the world. Luxury trademarks of the likes of Balenciaga, Manolo Blahnik, and Loewe were born and raised in the Spanish market, to later conquer the global fashion industry. In turn, fast fashion has also prospered in the Iberian nation. Inditex, a holding company headquartered in Galicia, generates over six billion euros in annual online sales globally. The firm has become one of the largest fashion groups in the world by managing an impressive brand portfolio featuring retail brands Zara, Bershka, Pull & Bear, Stradivarius, among others. Zara, for instance, is among the most visited fashion e-commerce websites, with an average of 85 million global visitors per month in 2020. Still, the Germany-based e-commerce platform Zalando ranks as the leading online fashion retailer in Spain by sales volume, surpassing other market leaders such as Zara and Mango.Main drivers of fashion e-commerce in Spain
Increasing trust in online payment methods, the rise of mobile shopping, and, most recently, the fast development of e-commerce during the COVID-19 lockdown period are key aspects to the success of online clothing retailing in Spain. Specifically, the convenience of shopping from home and free shipping options are attractive drivers for Spaniards to buy their clothes on the net.The average expenditure range on clothing items in Spain is very wide, but online fashion consumers normally spend between 50 and 100 euros per order. The sector’s most popularly purchased items include clothes, shoes, and children’s fashion, ahead of other accessories, such as handbags or jewelry.
In the past decade, online fashion retailing has greatly benefited from brands' investments in social media channels to increase the sector’s visibility on the internet. Influencer marketing has also had an impact on fashion exposure and revenue, with the public figure Aida Domenech, also known as Dulceida on social media, ranking among the most followed fashion Instagrammers in Spain in 2021.
