Buying Clothes Online in Germany 20/11/00 According to recent GfK Textilmarktforschung research, almost one in three German households has Internet access, and generally consumers are quite happy to order a T-shirt or a pair of trousers on the Internet. However, the findings of the GfK survey also reveal that there is scope for improvement when it comes to framework conditions for buying clothes on the Internet. Respondents complained about searches taking too long and the inferior quality of pictures. Postage charges are also seen as an obstacle by the consumer panel. This means that websites need to be displayed quickly and the design must be clear. If this is the case, visitors can quickly get an idea of the range on offer. According to respondents, well-known brands have the advantage that they can rely on details such as fit and the sizes indicated. When it comes to fashion, the Internet as a medium is used by most regular surfers as only a source of information with almost half of Internet users preferring to shop at traditional retailers. This group also claims that surfing the Net cannot replace the actual shopping experience, partly due to the fact that traditional shops offer the kind of advice lacking via the Internet channel. More positively almost one in four respondents envisages buying clothes, textiles and shoes on the Internet more often in future. These findings on ."Textiles and e-commerce" are taken from an up-to-date survey carried out by GfK Textilmarktforschung in cooperation with the GfK psychology division. Two classic focus groups of Internet users, two web groups and 205 e-mail interviews were used in the survey. The study was finalised in autumn 2000.