Savvy shoppers are getting the most for their money when it comes to the much-loved t-shirt and polo shirt, as these two items of clothing have today been revealed as the UK’s most cost-effective garms to own.
The study, by VoucherCodes.co.uk, the UK’s most trusted savings site, has looked into which categories of clothing give Brits the best return on investment, with t-shirts and polos beating the rest, coming in at just 11p per wear1.
VoucherCodes looked into the nation’s top five most-worn clothing categories which includes t-shirts and polo shirts, trousers, trackies, hoodies and coats, and calculated the average cost-per-wear of each of the popular items. The brand found the average price shoppers pay for each item of clothing and divided it by the average number of times they wear them, resulting in the average cost-per-wear.
Top five clothing categories ranked by total cost-per-wear over the first 12 months of ownership
| Rank | Item of
clothing |
Average cost per wear in first year
£ |
Times worn per year (weekly figure) | Average price paid
£ |
| 1 | T-shirts/Polo shirts | 11p | 228.8 times (4.4) | £24.94 |
| 2 | Trousers (all varieties) | 16p | 223.6 times (4.3) | £36.50 |
| 3 | Tracksuits/loungewear | 18p | 213.2 times (4.1) | £38.91 |
| 4 | Hoodies/sweatshirts | 19p | 208 times (4) | £38.53 |
| 5 | Jackets/Coats | 27p | 260 times (5) | £70.35 |
From wide-legged jeans to an in-vogue cargo pant, trousers come in hot in second position, working out at just 16p per wear. Despite trousers being pricier initially (£36.50), consumers are still getting their money’s worth, wearing them almost 224 times a year, or the equivalent of 4.3 times per week.
In fact, the same can be said for the remaining top-five categories too, which are tracksuits and loungewear (18p per wear), hoodies and sweatshirts (19p per wear), and jackets/coats (27p per wear).
It appears shoppers are more aware than ever that getting the most bang for your buck is more important at the moment thanks to the current economic climate. In fact, almost one-third (32%) of Brits now only add to their wardrobe once every 2-4 months.
Top five time periods when Brits purchase clothing
| Rank
|
Period of time
|
% of Brits purchasing clothes in this time period
|
| 1 | Once every two to four months | 32% |
| 2 | Once a month | 24% |
| 3 | Two to four times in a month | 10% |
| 4 | Twice a year | 9% |
| 5 | Three to six times a year | 7% |
| Average | 6.7 Times Per Year | |
Anita Naik, Savings Expert at VoucherCodes.co.uk, comments: “Our research shows Brits are really thinking about making their money work harder for them and an easy way to do this is by calculating the cost per wear (CPW) of your favourite items. Taking the time to do this simple calculation enables you to not only see the cost each time you wear your clothes but also see the lifetime value of each purchase you make.
“At VoucherCodes we’re privileged to be able to help the nation save money on their spending. Our discount codes have saved our customers £62m last year – so there’s no time like the present to get savvy with your shopping.”