Online Shopping Trends & Fast Fashion
Online shopping trends in the past few years, and especially during the world’s time in quarantine, have enabled and expanded “fast fashion” like never before. Fast fashion is defined as “inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends.” As we’ve immersed ourselves in the lives of other people over social media and observed the latest fashion trends, mass-market retailers have capitalized on that time by sprinkling your feed with ads for their products. 63% of products purchased online are clothing and apparel, and 84% of consumers refer to at least one social media site before buying a product, according to recent reports. As the itch to buy what’s “hot” grows, and the ability to purchase becomes easier and more seamless, many consumers look towards cheap sites to soften their spending sprees. Sites like Romwe, Shein, and Zaful, all owned by the same parent company, have placed themselves at the forefront of this growing online shopping trend. Their prices seem too good to be true for people looking for trendy clothes, but that’s because they are.
Romwe, Shein, and Zaful’s items are notorious for being cheap and unsustainable, quickly adding to the fashion industry’s waste — which is the second most polluting industry in the world (thanks to sites like these). Consumers buy whatever shirt they saw on TikTok or Pinterest, and when it quickly wears out, it’s okay because a new trend has surfaced on social media that these shopping sites will already provide for you. Annalise Fritz, a Liberty University student, has spent much of her time raising awareness for the evils of the fast fashion industry. She notes some statistics from recent reports that estimate that the fashion industry accounts for 10% of annual global emissions, landfills or burns a garbage truck-full of textiles every second, logs 2.4 billion trees every year, and accounts for one-fifth of the world’s water pollution by industry.
In addition to the wreaking havoc on the planet, the fashion industry also engages in some nefarious labor conduct. The reason these articles of clothing and paraphernalia can be sold so cheap is that these companies are always based overseas in Asian countries that have negligent or no child labor laws and often pay their employees unlivable wages, as much as 2–5x less than what the worker needs to survive. UNICEF’s recent reports on child labor in Asia foresees an increase in children entering the workforce this year because of the economic strain from COVID-19, as well.
Online shopping has allowed many businesses to flourish and grown. It has also allowed mass retailers to thrive in darkness. As a consumer immersed in online marketing, we need to be aware of what we’re being sold and how to make better choices.