Selfies and chelfies: Women are buying more clothes, but wear them for less time

Selfie culture has led to a "wear it once" mentality among younger shoppers. Women are buying more clothes, but wearing them for less time, according to a released figures from fashion data company Dressipi. The numbers that show that although women are spending 5% less than they used to on clothes, they are buying 20% more of them.

Analysts say the reason for this is the increased use of social media. "The fact that people upload so many pictures means that they want to look different every time… Some fashion bloggers even feel it would hurt their brand to be seen in the same clothes twice," says Eric Musgrave of the retail trade magazine Drapers.

According to the Times, retail shops face increasing pressure to upgrade fixtures and fittings to provide the best backdrop for shoppers to take pictures and share them straight from the changing room, which social media has dubbed the "chelfie".

"We see lots of people taking fitting room selfies," Judd Crane, Selfridges director of women's wear has said. "A spacious and distinctive environment is essential."

Harvey Nichols has installed a "digital mirror" in its new store in Birmingham which takes short videos that can be emailed to friends for their opinion.

Both women and men, including celebrities Jessie J and Vogue Williams, have been taking pictures of themselves while trying on clothes in stores and then uploading them to sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Research by fashion website Shopa found that the number of chelfies posted on Twitter has doubled with its increased popularity.

The research also shows that one in seven shoppers under the age of 30 – and as many as a third of 13-year-olds – now seeks online approval on every outfit, the study found. Women need an average of three 'likes' from friends before they buy items, while men tend to wait for at least four, the survey of 2,000 young people found.

Two in five confessed they discard an outfit if it gets fewer than 10 likes, the Daily Mail reports. Because of this, shopping time has now doubled from 16 minutes to 31 minutes, while almost a third of people admitted spending up to two hours choosing an outfit while they wait for likes.

"Although online shopping is becoming increasingly popular, many of us still rely on our friends' approval when purchasing new clothes or accessories," behavioural psychologist Linda Papadopoulose explains.