Zara is now more popular in the UK than Topshop, according to a new study based on Google searches.
In 2016, the Spanish brand saw a 20.18 per cent rise in searches compared to the year before – the highest increase in public demand, beating every other big brand. It was followed by Missguided with its 11 per cent boost, then TK Maxx at 4.26 per cent. The findings came as part of Media Vision Interactive's Fashion Demand Report.
Several Arcadia brands, Topshop included, saw a dip in searches. Topshop slipped by 8 per cent in online demand, possibly due to the changing public perception of its boss Philip Green over the 2016 BHS scandal. Alternatively, it's not farfetched to imagine that the rising prices of the brand have alienated its millennial customers. The high-street market is more saturated than ever, meaning Topshop will have to up its game if it wants to remain a heavyweight.
Arcadia as a whole did not fare well in the study, apart from Wallis which saw a slight increase of 0.5 per cent. Searches for Topman decreased by 17 per cent; at Miss Selfridge they fell by 25 per cent and Dorothy Perkins noted a similar drop of 20 per cent.
It was a different story at Inditex, the conglomerate that owns Zara, Bershka, Stradivarius and Pull & Bear, which all saw a notable rise in online consumer demand. Stradivarius attracted the biggest at 66 per cent.
However, perhaps surprisingly, the brand that saw the largest increase in Google searches was the online retailer Pretty Little Thing, where demand grew by an impressive 84 per cent.
