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- Driving Demand for Denim Jeans


Denim jeans represent an estimated $60 billion
FIERCE COMPETITION
Denim jeans can be found in the wardrobes of 96% of U.S. consumers who, on average, own seven pairs. Despite high consumer favor, jeans have lost a significant amount of retail floor space to other bottomswear items like dresses and athletic pants, according to Cotton Incorporated’s Retail Monitor™ Survey. The popularity of women’s dresses has increased in the past five years, while athleticwear’s presence at retail has grown, in recent years, due to its popularity as a multifunctional apparel item among men and women. More than 9 out of 10 cons
The competition that denim jeans are facing from other product categories is intensified by shoppers being disappointed about recent changes in the quality of fabric and fiber content of apparel products. The majority of consumers say that clothing purchases do not last as long (59%) and that the quality of clothing has declined from last year (52%). Almost three out of four apparel shoppers (72%) also say that clothing prices have increased since last year. Paying more for less does not meet consumers’ value expectations and Cotton Incorporated’s Customer Comment Research™ reveals that dissatisfaction with clothing quality is the highest for denim jean purchases. Denim jeans accounted for nearly 30% of negative customer ratings–higher than any other apparel product studied. In fact, compared to all other clothing categories, customers were most likely to mention poor quality (25%), disappointment (28%), and returns made due to dissatisfaction (28%) in their denim jean reviews. Because consumers have more brand loyalty when purchasing jeans, many notice changes in jean quality and indicate feeling betrayed by their favorite brand.
PERFORMANCE ISSUES
The performance issues that customers have experienced in recent denim jean offerings may be hurting the competitiveness and sales of jeans. Customer reviews of jeans purchases reveal that fading (23%), shrinking (22%), stretch recovery (19%), wear and tear (16%), and odor (10%) were the top performance issues. Many of these performance problems could have been avoided with proper textile processing, such as the use of better or correctly prepared dyes to avoid fading and heat-setting to avoid stretch recovery issues. Performance issues could be motivating consumers to postpone new jean purchases out of concerns about lower quality options. Nearly 6 in 10 consumers (58%, up significantly from 49% last year) say they buy new jeans for need-based reasons (i.e., their old jeans were worn out). While keeping costs low is important, customer dissatisfaction, hesitation about purchasing, and resolve never to shop at a retailer again because of quality concerns clearly outweigh any marginal savings.
Consumers are more than twice as likely to rate denim jeans negatively if they experience pilling, itching, or durability
RECOVERY OPPORTUNITIES
With limited disposable income, today’s pragmatic shoppers are looking to make an investment in their clothing. When jeans fail to meet customers’ expectations, they may respond by purchasing other brands or apparel items. The success of the 2005/2006 premium denim trend, which contributed to significant increases in jean imports, sales, and consumer ownership, demonstrates that apparel shoppers desire better quality jeans and will pay more. Addressing common textile problems to resolve denim jean performance issues and providing the proven quality that cotton-rich jeans deliver will be essential to improve jeans sales and to ensure that jeans remain competitive with other apparel products.
Click on the “Consumers on Apparel Issues” image to read additional consumer reviews on denim jeans