Press Release

For additional information contact:
Kathy Clarke
Retail Forward
614/355-4009
kclarke@retailforward.com »

Women Limit Spending on Apparel; Shopping Behavior Likely To Endure, Retail Forward Reports

COLUMBUS, May 13, 2009—More than eight out of 10 women have changed the way they shop for clothing, accessories and shoes, Retail Forward ShopperScape™ survey findings reveal. Concern about the economy and their own household’s financial situation has spurred a wave of changes during the past year in the way women shop for these categories.

“The largest shares of female shoppers are engaging in ways to limit spending on these categories,” comments Kelly Tackett, Senior Consultant with Retail Forward and author of the Retail Forward Intelligence System™ report. “However, many women also are trading down to less expensive brands, styles and fabrics and changing how and where they shop for clothing, accessories and shoes,” she adds.

Although fewer than one-third of women surveyed expect to adopt these changes permanently, the near-term effects are widespread. Retail Forward ShopperScape™ survey findings indicate as many as 46% of shoppers are shopping retailers across the softgoods sector less often than a year ago.

Significant ShopperScape™ findings highlighted in the Retail Forward study include:

Tactics for limiting spending on clothing, accessories and shoes are among the most widely adopted and are likely to be the most enduring post-recession.
Signaling a longer-term shift toward more conscious consumerism, trading down behavior is cited most often as one that shoppers will likely retain once the economy improves.
Shoppers are also seeking deals by regularly monitoring clearance/sale racks of their favorite retailers and using sale ads and specials to determine where they shop.
Only 9% of shoppers say they are not engaged in any of these behaviors.
Usage of money-saving tactics varies by age. Younger shoppers (age 18 to 24) are sticking to firm clothing budgets and are more likely to buy less name-brand and high-end designer clothing. Younger shoppers are also shopping more off-price stores and outlet stores to save money while older shoppers are more likely to shop secondhand stores.

Ways that Female Shoppers Are Changing Shopping Behavior for Clothing, Accessories and Shoes for Themselves

	Percentage of All Female Shoppers Using Tactic	Rank by % Using	Extremely Likely/ Somewhat Likely to Retain Behavior*	Rank by % Likely to Retain
	Percentage of All Female Shoppers Using Tactic	Rank by % Using	Extremely Likely/ Somewhat Likely to Retain Behavior*	Rank by % Likely to Retain
Limiting Behaviors
Spending less overall on clothing, accessories and shoes	39%	1	30%	2
Shopping less frequently for clothing, accessories and shoes	37%	2	28%	4
Buying fewer items on impulse	34%	4	28%	3

Trading-Down Behaviors
Not buying clothing, accessories and shoes that seem "just too expensive"	36%	3	30%	1
	36%	3	30%	1
Deal-Seeking Behaviors
Regularly monitoring the clearance/sale racks of favorite retailers to track newly marked down merchandise	30%	5	26%	5

*Percentage of female shoppers reporting that they are significantly likely or somewhat likely to retain the shopping behavior
once the economy/ their personal household financial situation improves
Source: Retail Forward ShopperScape™, March 2009

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About Retail Forward
Retail Forward (www.retailforward.com ») is a global management consulting and market research firm specializing in retail intelligence and strategies. The company's syndicated research and executive development program, known as the Retail Forward Intelligence System™, provides members with an authoritative perspective on the retail and consumer products industries. Shopper Update: Softgoods—More than Eight of 10 Women Changing Shopping Behavior is published in the Softgoods Program of the Retail Forward Intelligence System™.

About ShopperScape™
The Retail Forward ShopperScape™ database is a unique source of information about shopping behavior based on a monthly survey of 4,000 nationally representative households. The extensive survey measures a wide range of shopping behaviors and attitudes. Survey respondents are the self-designated primary shopper for their households. Surveys are conducted online using the TNS Interactive Panel.

For details on the Retail Forward Intelligence System™ study or ShopperScape™, contact Katherine Clarke, Vice President Marketing, at 614.355.4009 or kclarke@retailforward.com ».