By Siddhi Jain

New Delhi, Jun 11 (IANS): With the mercury climbing fast, summer apparel sales have shown a quick growth in e-commerce sales.

In May, nearly 40 per cent of all products sold at online marketplace Snapdeal itself, were summer clothes. Apparel, is a traditionally a high selling category on the platform, and it has registered increased sales after the relaxation of selling non-essential products online. According to the platform, the demand for apparels has picked up again and is close to the level of pre-COVID sales.

A Snapdeal survey conducted in May 2020 with users across India revealed that while families traditionally enjoyed shopping at the mall, are now looking for safer options to shop. 95 per cent of the respondents preferred online shopping for apparels over retail outlets. Comfort and value were the top two considerations for consumers as they made apparel purchases. The perceived brand value was not an equally important factor as consumers preferred seller brands with attractive prices.

What's selling?

Kids summer wear is leading in terms of demand. In the survey, buyers said they prioritised kids needs over other needs and that garments for children are a more immediate need because of frequent size changes. T-Shirts, tracks and pyjamas, jumpsuits, shorts, infant wear, and sandals make for popular kidswear on the site.

In the men's fashion category, cotton T-shirts in plain colors and prints, Bermuda shorts, and cargo shorts are a hit. Round neck, henley neck and sleeveless t-shirts are in vogue. Open sandals and flip flops priced are another popular pick with buyers.

Amongst women shoppers, comfy leggings, loose fit and regular shorts, round neck t-shirts, tops in bright colors, dresses, and kaftan summer dresses were popular choices.

The popular price range for casual fashion was Rs 500-800, said Snapdeal. 75 per cent of the shoppers on Snapdeal opted for seller-branded value apparel mostly served by sellers from Ludhiana, Bengaluru, Delhi, Tirupur and Jaipur.

"Last month, the sale in the apparel category was all about catching up with overdue functional needs like nightwear, undergarments, and track pants etc. With children at home and more people continuing to work from home and summer in full swing, users are now making smart, casual additions to their wardrobes", said a Snapdeal spokesperson.