Women hit fashion shopping peak at 57, survey finds

Thursday, October 4, 2012 - 14:17 by Paul Tissington

A study which questioned 2,000 women about their shopping habits, has found that those aged 57 and older are the most comfortable in making fashion purchases.

The MyHigh.st website conducted the survey and established a number of other interesting facts about how older women choose to shop.

Almost two thirds of those questioned said that they regularly use safe shopping online to carry out some research prior to making a purchase, so that they are able to make an informed decision.

In fact women over the age of 57 are the least likely group to return fashion items once they have been sold to them, which analysts believe is directly related to the fact that by this point in life, they are more attuned to what garments suit them and what styles they like.

For the youngest women carrying out safe shopping online, this does mean that there is potentially another four decades of indecision and fashion-related insecurity awaiting you, until you finally reach the point at which you have established your own sartorial identity.

Those over the age of 50 were found to go clothes shopping around once every month, either on the high street or via safe shopping online.

In a typical transaction, the average expenditure on one of these trips would be 45.60, with only two out of every 20 outfits purchased ending up back at the retailer after a return.

The idea that women of 57 are more comfortable in themselves and make better fashion purchases because of it, was not extrapolated from the raw data; they were actually asked in the survey to explain their thoughts and feelings about their shopping habits.

So while the ageing process brings plenty of its own problems along with it, there are also a number of perks to passing through middle age.