Oh dear. UK fashion brands have been named the worst for online experiences with site speed and user experience (UX) letting them down, according to new research of the sector that attracted a £30 million spend alone last year. 

Fortunately for individual brands, the analysis of 1,000 UK websites across 14 sectors by communications agency Warbox doesn’t name names.

But the research does note that “customers are increasingly abandoning sites with slower speeds and a poor UX, but are willing to pay 80% more for a good online experience”. 

The research, revealing the best – and worst – online experiences via Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool and Core Web Vitals, shows the fashion sector’s on-page content takes an average 3.1 seconds to load, compared to second-worst performer (education, 2.5 seconds).

It claims fashion brand websites are slow at responding to interactions, taking an average of 321 milliseconds, compared to the recommended 200, or below.

And it’s the fashion sector’s websites that have the lowest average performance score at 55, noting any reading between 50-89 “needs improvement”, according to Google.

The collected data also gives fashion an overall index score of 385, worse than charity (index score 395), education  (399), and marketing/property (both 403).

And the best performers? Despite being let down by fashion, at least the wider retail sector provides the best online experience. It takes the largest piece of on-page content just 2.6 seconds to load, with an average performance score of 66, ahead of the public sector, manufacturing, transport and healthcare. 

Mark Fensom, director at Warbox said:  “In 2025, if your website’s UX isn’t up to scratch, visitors have plenty of alternatives. Websites do need to look pretty but this shouldn’t be prioritised over functionality or accessibility, otherwise you risk being penalised by Google and visitors.

“The data reveals that fashion websites are slower to react to interactions, which is in part the reason why websites are lagging behind. Speed matters and not just for brands trying to outpace competitors. Slow sites, which I’m sure everyone has experienced, are frustrating especially when you’re in the middle of an action.”

It suggest brands can improve a website by make sure it’s mobile friendly; reduce page bloat by compressing files or shortening scripts; have a clear site structure and intuitive navigation to improve the performance of the most important pages; optimise any AI chatbots or interactive features and test it on a staging site; and with colour contrast a key aspect of accessibility guidelines, retailers should make sure website colours enhance the readability of text.

British retailer Oliver Bonas is to open not one but two stores at major shopping centres in the north of England this summer. The fashion and lifestyle brand will be opening at Newcastle’s Eldon Square and Sheffield’s Meadowhall.
 

The 2,809 sq ft store on Eldon Square’s St Andrew’s Way will become the fashion and lifestyle brand’s largest store in the North East offering its signature mix of contemporary fashions in bright colours and bold prints plus homewares, and gifts.

Although we don’t know the size of the new Meadowhall store it will be opening on The Avenue, joining beauty giant Sephora this summer and JD Sport’s expanded new store.

Oliver Bonas founder Oliver Tress said of the Newcastle opening: “[This is] a city which embraces innovation, fun and individuality – all central tenants to our ethos. As such, [our] arrival… feels like a brilliant fit and we can’t wait to expand our offering across the North East. As a retail centre which boasts impressive footfall, we look forward to engaging with the Newcastle community and beyond.” 

Eldon Square operator Pradera Lateral said the arrival of Oliver Bonas comes “at an exciting crossroads for the retail destination” with a new brand vision recently unveiled, alongside the announcement of a 60,000 sq ft innovative entertainment and dining destination”.

Dublin-based artificial intelligence (AI) start-up Swan is launching its first consumer product, a digital fitting room for shoppers.

Giving them “the power to size, try on, and style clothing”, it claims to be able to link with any product from any brand.

Purely web-based, and with no downloads or brand set-up required, it says the system requires just a photo of the potential purchaser and a product link, allowing users to virtually try on clothing. 

They can also take body measurements via a video scan, get size suggestions, compare sizes visually, and create outfits from multiple links… “all in seconds”, says Swan.

Eoin Cambay, founder and CEO of Swan, said: “Fashion is deeply personal, but e-commerce has long treated every shopper as the same. Every shopper is unique, yet they are forced to guess their size, rely on models who don’t represent them, and deal with costly returns.

“We are changing that by allowing people to see exactly how clothing fits and looks on them before they buy. The future of shopping is not about better returns or cheaper finance – it’s about digital discovery tailored to each person.”

For brands, Swan says the system is easy to integrate via APIs or the Shopify app, “allowing them to embed it directly into their own e-commerce sites”.