Amazon’s private label apparel, it seems, isn’t gaining much traction in Europe.
To uncover brand performance trends, sales insights and opportunities in the European market, Gartner L2 examined Amazon data for France, Germany and the United Kingdom. The research intelligence firm focused on mainstream brands versus Amazon’s private labels versus independent outfits, comparing the performance of each across men’s and women’s apparel categories.
Just five indie brands appeared on the men’s apparel bestsellers list across all three countries. The data shows that men seem to prefer buying larger traditional brands like Nike, Puma, Adidas, Under Amour and Fruit of the Loom through Amazon rather than smaller labels or the e-commerce giant’s own private brands.
The opposite is true when looking at the top sellers in the women’s clothing category. Just one big brand—Nike—makes the list that’s dominated by differentiated independent labels. Notably, none of Amazon’s private brands move the needle as a top seller for either the men’s or women’s apparel, despite launching four own labels this year spanning athleisure to occasionwear: Aurique, FIND, Meraki and Truth & Fable.
Shoppers in Europe, much like their stateside counterparts, enjoying picking up apparel items on Amazon that aren’t tied to a specific season, and as such, many of top sellers see strong sales due to their seasonless appeal. Gartner said 40 percent of bestsellers in sportswear and apparel basics like socks and underwear are carried year round. However, the men’s assortment is characterized by more seasonal activity than women’s, the research firm added, especially in a country like Germany where outerwear like warm jackets occupy a larger share of the assortment during the frigid winter months.
“This seasonal push combined with the ever-present demand for activewear and sportswear drove sales for brands such as NIKE, adidas and Puma,” Gartner said in the report.
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In fact, sportswear was universally popular across France, Germany and the U.K.; it was the top category for men and women in both Germany (23 percent and 18 percent, respectively) and France (25 percent and 17 percent), and the top category for British men (23 percent).
Intimates and lingerie sold well among female Brits (20 percent) as well as French women (15 percent), Gartner found. German and British women emerged as practical purchasers; socks (15 percent) were the No. 2 category for Deutschland women while Brexit Nation snapped up a broader selection of legwear—tights and socks—as the runner-up category.
Gartner uncovered strategic pricing opportunities for brands that are looking to seize upon white space in the market. The report confirmed the long-established notion that consumers gravitate to Amazon for wallet-friendly options. Four fifths of bestsellers across all surveyed categories average 30 pounds ($38) or lower, and this skews even higher when looking at top sellers in women’s apparel.
On the men’s side, Gartner found that socks and underwear from Nike and Fruit of the Loom comprise the bulk of items priced at 15 pounds ($19) and lower, and national brands emerge again in the 25 pounds ($32) and higher range where their apparel typically retailers.
“This leaves a white space opportunity for indie and private-label brands to target shoppers, as mainstream brand presence falls by 14 percentage points between these price ranges,” the research firm noted.
Brands that want to ward off independent labels from potentially invading their price-point turf might consider the example of Levi’s, which launched the lower-priced Gold Label in the U.S. market. That sort of line offers the benefit of brand equity, Gartner said, while carrying lower operational costs.