Battle of the shoppers

Krishna Motukuri, CEO of Spree, says: “Both Gauteng and Western Cape are large, fast-growing markets for us, so we wanted to find out how their taste in fashion differs from one another. What we found out was rather surprising.”

Foot fetish

Johannesburg ladies list their preference in footwear as heels followed by wedges. In contrast, Capetonians’ first choice of shoes is pumps then sandals, and their last choice is heels. It seems that – at least in terms of footwear – for Cape Town fashionistas, comfort comes first.

The survey found that most women are closet Imelda Marcos’s in both cities. The majority of respondents boast over 21 pairs of shoes in their respective wardrobes.

When it comes to accessories, jewellery is the number one choice in both provinces (Cape Town 37%/Johannesburg 47%), followed by shoes (surprise, surprise).

Colour crazy

When asked what colour dominates their wardrobe, almost eight out of 10 Cape Town ladies selected black and grey. Interestingly, a greater number of Johannesburg women gravitated towards more vibrant colours, such as bold reds, yellows and blues, than their Cape Town counterparts (14% vs. 10%). Although floral and print garments make an appearance in most wardrobes, they don’t dominate, with only around 2% of Cape Town and Johannesburg respondents listing them as the main feature in their closets.

Retail therapy

When it comes to shopping to unwind, both Cape Town and Johannesburg ladies prefer shopping for tops, skirt or pants as their primary medicine. Interestingly, over double the number of Johannesburg ladies shop for cosmetics to unwind, compared to the Capetonians, reinforcing the perception of Johannesburg glamour.

It was also revealed that 84% of women make impulse purchases while shopping, and that the highest percentage of women who do fall into the 31-36 years age bracket. E-tail therapy

When it comes to online shopping, the majority of the women surveyed cite convenience as the greatest benefit – “no queues, parking or jostling”. This is followed by “greater variety” for Cape Town ladies, while Johannesburgers cite the fact that when you purchase garments online, there is less chance of having the same clothes as everyone else. Other benefits include the fact that they are not exposed to flaw-amplifying changing-room lighting and mirrors, and also that online shopping saves time (Cape Town 13%/Johannesburg 16%).

“We are more alike than we thought. While there are a number of differences, what is more surprising are the similarities. All ladies – regardless of age, income, or size – have more or less the same desires and preferences in terms of their fashion choices.”