US Men’s Online Shopping Habits

US Men’s Online Shopping Habits: Over 25% of Men spend $500 on Clothes a Month

We know that shopping isn’t everyone's favorite activity. With trends coming and going, awkward changing rooms, and annoying salespeople, it’s hard to enjoy the experience, which is why 69% of Americans have turned to shopping online.

At Spoke, we wanted to make shopping for clothes fun and hassle-free again, so we made a range of refined, modern menswear available in over 400 sizes, including the only size that matters - yours. It doesn’t get much better than custom-fit clothes delivered to your door.  With the US expected to have 300 million online shoppers in 2023, we want to dig deeper to learn more about men’s online shopping and returning habits. We surveyed 2,000 US men with different backgrounds who regularly shop online to find out their most common habits.

65% of Men Admitted to Never Returning Ill-Fitting Items of Clothing

Our survey found that over 25% of men spend a staggering $500 on clothes a month - so what are they doing with the clothes that don't fit? 65% of US men never return ill-fitting clothes, regardless of the price. On average, US men will only consider returning items if they cost more than $380. The most popular reason for returning an item was either due to a poor fit or the wrong size.

We also learned that 10% of men don’t return clothes simply because they ‘can’t be bothered’ even if a returns label was included or a drop-off point was nearby. But, it’s not all wasted as US men are actually very generous with their clothing purchases, with 30% claiming they offer ill-fitting clothing purchases to friends or family.

Pants and Jeans are the Most Commonly Returned Item

Pants and jeans are notoriously difficult items of clothing to buy and get the fit just right, which is why they took first place as the most commonly returned item. Whether they’re too tight, too baggy, too short, too long, or just don’t feel as good as they should, US men are more likely to return jeans than any other piece of clothing.

At Spoke, we specialize in legendary legwear and know that fit matters most. Hitting the sweet spot between bespoke and ‘ready to wear’, we offer over 400 size combinations, hand-finished and delivered to your door. Use our Fit Finder to discover your perfect size in just 60 seconds. We stand by our clothes, which is why everything comes with a 200-day guarantee. No matter what the problem is, if you’re not happy with the product, you’ll have 200 days to return it! Ideally, we’d love it if you talked to us about any issues, too, so that we can improve them for the future.

Men Spend $386 a Year on Clothes They Never Wear

Since so many men don’t return their clothes, they end up spending an average of $386 a year on clothes that never get worn. While some keep the clothes hoping they’ll fit into them one day, others just forget it’s even there, gathering dust in the back of their closets. 

We were curious about which occupation spends the most buying clothes online and found that 77% of men in the farming, fishing, and forestry industries shop for clothes more than once a week. With such hands-on jobs, we expect they get through clothes quicker than most! In comparison, 28% of hospitality workers shop for clothes less than once a month.

We also learned that healthcare support workers generally spend the most money on clothes they’ve never actually worn, with a huge average of $572.

While it’s certainly a massive money waster, hanging on to the clothes or giving them away to a friend might not be such a bad thing. It’s estimated that 50% of clothing returns never make it back into the company’s inventory. In the worst cases, these clothes are sent straight to the incinerator or to landfill. Talk about wastage! So, whether they know it or not, US men are actually doing the environment a favor by not returning ill-fitting clothes - despite their closets bursting.

71% of US Men Never Compare Prices

From our own research, we learned that 56% of US men spend 30 minutes or less online before making an online clothing purchase. A huge 71% of US men also never compare prices of similar items before committing to a purchase - they’ll simply buy the first item they see, much to the horror of savvy shoppers everywhere. 

Over a quarter of men in America spend over $500 a month on online clothes shopping. But what are they considering when they’re looking to buy clothes? Typically, men look for:

• Quality (58%)

• Size/fit (56%)

• Comfort (54%)

The opinions of friends and family members and the cost per wear were the most unimportant factors to men when they decide whether to keep or return an online clothes purchase.

North Eastern Men are the Most Savvy Shoppers

Wondering where in America men are shopping and returning the most? Men in the Mid West take the top spot for shopping the most, as 58% tend to shop for clothes online once a week. These Mid-West men are also known for never returning items that don’t fit. 

Men in the West spend the most on clothes, averaging $445 a month, but this also means they spend the most on clothes they don’t wear, an average of $450 a year.

42% of men in the North East claimed they always return ill-fitting clothing but are also more likely to make impulsive purchases when it comes to clothing (14%) compared to any other US region. North Eastern men are the most money conscious, though, as they compare the prices of items more than any other region (37%).

US Men are More Frequent Shoppers than UK Men

We also decided to run the same survey on 2,000 men in the UK too, to see how both UK and US men compared. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there were plenty of differences between the two. US men were revealed to be more frequent shoppers than UK men, which meant US men also spent more money monthly shopping online for clothes. On average, an additional $160 dollars.  

Men in the UK were actually less likely to return clothes they bought online in comparison to the US (20% UK and 10% US). The US was vastly more generous with their ill-fitting clothes, with 30% offering them to friends and family. And, only 10% of US men don’t return clothes because they ‘can’t be bothered’ compared to 20% in the UK. Read our full study on UK men’s shopping habits to find out more!