Written by Menswear Style in Business on the 9th November 2022

A new survey of UK men has revealed that men are wasting an average of £290 per year on clothes they never wear, with men in Northern Ireland being the biggest culprits, spending on average, a whopping £475 on unworn clothing each year. The research, commissioned by custom-fit menswear brand, Spoke surveyed 2,000 UK men to get a better understanding of their online shopping and returning habits.

A huge 69% of men claim they simply 'can't be bothered' as the main reason for not returning clothes that do not fit. Even with the options of a parcel drop-off or included return labels to make it as easy and hassle-free as possible, 16% of men still said they would never return an item of clothing. A further 28% of men said that they would only consider returning an item if it cost £300 or more.

According to the survey results, size and fit are the most important factors when making a purchase, this is supported by the fact that 30% of men said that fit or size is the most common reason they would return something, suggesting brands aren't meeting expectations. Of all the regions, West Midlands men are more likely to return unwanted clothes. Meanwhile, 81% of men living in the East Midlands admitted to never returning online clothes purchases. 1 in 5 men in London said that they would rather gift clothes to friends or family members that didn't fit rather than return them. But, 1 in 5 men also kept ill-fitting clothes, with the hopes that they’ll fit them one day.

Almost half (49%) of UK online shoppers had sent something back in the past year (2021* according to Mintel research, rising to 60% for those aged 16-34.' Spoke’s data reveals that almost 60% of men chose not to return clothing, and instead 30% of those choose to gift their unwanted items to friends and family instead. These men might actually be doing the environment a favour as an estimated 50% of returns never make it back into a clothing company’s inventory and, in the worst cases, go on to be incinerated or to landfill** - another reason why Spoke are committed to ensuring the best possible fit for all customers.

We look at the Spoke London survey on Online Shopping Habits which highlights how 69% of UK Men Can’t Be Bothered to Return Clothes That Don’t Fit.