Dive Brief:

• More than half (55%) of all shoppers prefer to shop for clothing in bricks-and-mortar stores, according to a new report from ad tech company Fluent. 
• Some 62.4% of women polled said they primarily purchase apparel in physical store locations, while 21.2% prefer to buy online. Among men, the numbers were 47.5% in-store vs. 23.5% online. 
• Apparel retailers are looking to technology such as kiosks, mobile phones, and beacons to capture more data about shoppers in-store and use it to enhance engagement. 

Dive Insight:

Good news for bricks-and-mortar apparel retailers: Most shoppers still prefer to visit stores when shopping for clothing. The majority of respondents to a new survey from Fluent (55%) “primarily” shop for clothing in-store, making physical locations the most powerful channel in the $253.6 billion U.S. clothing and accessories market.

Apparel retailers aren’t eschewing technology, though—they’re deploying it in-store to gather data about shoppers. According the Edgell Knowledge Network, 68% of apparel and accessories retailers employ point-of-sale platforms to capture data about customers in-store, 48% use in-store WiFi, and 45% host in-store kiosks.

With Amazon and other e-commerce providers projected to expand apparel sales at a double-digit pace this year, legacy retailers are experimenting with new ways to engage shoppers. For example, Macy’s Manhattan Beach, Calif., store is testing fitting-room tablets to assist swimwear shoppers.