Fast fashion brands still dominate Google searches, says new survey

Shein is the most searched-for label in the world, topping in 113 countries including UAE, Australia, Mexico and France

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Chinese fast fashion retailer Shein is the most searched-for brand in the world, according to a new survey that analysed 12 months of Google search data.

The research by money.co.uk found Shein topped the list in 113 countries, from the UAE to Mexico and Australia to France.

The company, founded in Nanjing in 2008, lists between 500 to 2,000 new items every day. It's best known for its affordable products and ships across 220 countries, making it the world's largest fashion retailer in 2022.

The list is dominated by fast fashion retailers, with the second most searched-for brand being Zara, topping the list in 26 countries, down from pole position in last year's survey.

Rounding out the top five is German retailer Zalando and sportswear giants Nike and adidas.

Only two high-end names made the top 10 and that was Macy's department store and Dior.

Here are the 10 most-searched-for fashion brands in the world:

1. Shein

2. Zara

3. Zalando

4. Nike

5. Adidas

6. Macy's

7. H&M

8. Uniqlo

9. Asos

10. Dior

Zara may be in second place, but it has lost its dominance in Europe, falling from first spot over the past year, topping searches in 15 countries compared to 20.

Zalando is the most searched-for in Europe, with no luxury brands on top. Other European favourites include H&M, Shein and British etailer Asos.

In Asia, Shein reigns supreme, but sportswear brands are also popular and Zara tops search results in six countries on the continent. New entries for this region include Michael Kors and Puma for Kazakhstan and India, respectively.

In North America, Shein dominates, but Macy's is most popular in the US, while in Canada it's Lululemon that people are Googling.

To come up with the list, money.co.uk, a British price comparison list, used Google Keyword planner to analyse data in November from across the world.

Each country's top brand was found using its annual search data for each company and then this year's data was compared with last year's to see what had shifted.

The global fast fashion market grew from $91.2 billion last year to $99.2 billion this year, according to a report by The Business Research Company. It is expected to grow to $133.4 billion by 2026.

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Updated: December 11, 2022, 8:38 AM