The internet is a popular place to shop, and every year, the industry continues to grow. This is great news for clothes lovers, as with continued growth there is better choice and better prices too. Many of the leading manufacturers of womens clothing now operate online clothing shops, this is great, but there is often a premium on the clothing, simply because of the monopoly these large clothing companies believe they have.

This is not the case anymore, because of the competitive nature of the internet, the clothing market has been thrown wide open, and smaller companies can now compete for custom. For instance, the same brand of jumper (even those of the most prestigious designers) is less expensive with a relatively unknown retailer, than it is with a large and well-known retailer.

Avoid the Larger Retailers

The reasons for this are many and varied. Firstly, these larger retailers still believe they have the monopoly within the clothing market, and in a sense they do, but only from the perspective that shoppers will turn to their sites first, because they are likely to be the first brand that springs to mind. What the discerning internet shopper will realise, however, is that other internet retailers will offer the same items at a much-reduced price. In short, when shopping with the larger companies, you pay a premium for the name, rather than the clothes.

Additionally, these larger retailers will have a larger overhead. Because they have stores all over the country, and some even operate on an international scale, they have to pay for the running of all these stores, and they will have to pay for all their internet-running costs too. The costs incurred from running a high-street store are huge. They must pay rent, which for a prime spot will include a large fee; they will need to play full staffing costs, which with a large store can be astronomical. They also need to pay for all their utility bills, such as electricity and water, and they will need to pay council rates too. Moreover, however, they will have to pay a great deal of Public Liability Insurance (PLI), which can run into millions of pounds over the course of a year for the big retailers.

All of these additional costs need paying, and these retailers generate the extra cost by increasing the cost of their clothing.

Shop with the Smaller Companies

Conversely, womens clothing retailers, who operate online stores only, have very few of the aforementioned overheads. Their premises will be smaller and probably located in areas where the rent does not include a premium. Because of this, the rent will be cheaper, but also, because the premises are smaller, they will not have to pay so much on heating or water. They have less need for staff, so have fewer employees. They have no shop floor and so do not encounter any customers, thus negating the need for PLI. All they require is storage space and a small office. The savings these companies make from the running of their business, they then pass on to their customers in the way of much reduced prices on merchandise.

Therefore, if you find an item of clothing that you love, before you buy it, shop around with smaller internet clothing retailers, and find out if you can get a better price. The reduction bears no relation to the quality of the clothing, but rather, the way in which these virtual-shops operate.

• Clothing