I find it quite demoralising in store - why I do all my shopping online
After Primark announced plans for home delivery, we hear from women who never go into clothes stores.
I find it quite demoralising in store - why I do all my shopping online
Jess Bacon does all her clothes shopping online.
As a plus-size woman, she says the size ranges in shops are unreliable. "The sizing in store is notoriously bad. I find it quite demoralising in store," she says.
"The average size woman in the UK is a size 14 or a size 16. I think a lot of people just don't feel seen or represented," says the 29-year-old from Peterborough.
Jess, a culture journalist and author, says shopping online is "much quicker than going into a store, paying for parking, trying things on".
She also says sending back items that do not fit is less of a hassle than returning them in store, while regular trips to her local post office give her "more of a community connection".
Jess points out that Primark is one of the few High Street retailers where plus-size shoppers can buy clothes. In her experience, Primark stores generally carry up to a size 22.
But soon she may be able to stay at home for that too - because, after years of resisting, Primark now plans to introduce a home delivery service in Britain.
Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, when shops were shut, Primark did not allow online shopping. In 2022 it launched a click-and-collect service, but customers still had to travel to collect their purchases.
The retailer has not said when it expects to launch the service, but it has bought a warehouse in Sheffield to allow it to send products to homes.
Analysts say the move shows Primark is under major pressure from ultra-fast-fashion brands such as Shein.
Online shopping was already growing before the surge seen during the pandemic.
According to the Office for National Statistics, online made up 27.3% of all retail sales in August this year, up from 18.1% in August 2019.
Internet shopping has also been helped by the decline of the High Street in many parts of the country, something Jess has noticed in Peterborough. "We don't have John Lewis [anymore]. There's kind of not that much of a reason to go into town."
Like Jess, Julia Mitchell, who lives near Chichester, does not enjoy shopping for clothes in person. She finds it overstimulating and believes better bargains are available online.
"I basically never go into them [clothes shops]. It's not really something I enjoy," the 32-year-old says.
"I guess some people might be able to see stuff and pick it up and look at it, but for me, being able to get the best price is more important."
Julia does most of her shopping online, but likes going into book stores
Julia, a content creator, tries to shop ethically and most of her purchases are second hand from Vinted.
The one thing she never buys online, though, is books. "The thing about bookshops is that they are cultural spaces and community spaces."
Sandra Davies does all her shopping online. She has had three strokes and finds walking to and around shops too physically demanding.
"I've tried it on two occasions but on both times, standing in a queue for over 10 minutes was too much for me and I collapsed."
The 61-year-old from Sheffield says waiting for deliveries can be stressful too, because she worries about missing the postie and having to rearrange.
Julie Palmer, a retail analyst, is not surprised that Primark has finally moved into home deliveries as it has clearly recognised that "online sales bring scale".
However, she says a shop's returns policy for online purchases can "make or break" it. Many brands offer hassle-free returns, which Palmer says Primark must match to compete.
"Shoppers want them to be free, simple and quick. That means a generous window, lots of drop-off options and refunds that land within days, not weeks.
"When a policy is clunky or slow, customers remember it and shop elsewhere next time."
But returns are costly for retailers. Some, like Asos, have begun charging a fee if customers make frequent returns.
This is a balancing act, Palmer says, "because a fee can easily push a customer to a competitor".
"Most retailers that charge still offer free returns in store, which is a deliberate way to get people through the door and hopefully spending again."