Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman

Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman

We all remember that scene from Pretty Woman when Vivian gets turned away from a designer store on Rodeo Drive, and many of us have felt the same when buying high end clothing.

Now, Brits are beating the ‘Pretty Woman’ effect by choosing to buy from high end designers online instead of in store.

This has seen designers gaining many more customers and has been reflected by a boost in sales.

The study by PayPal found that 16 per cent of women feel intimidated by a security guard at a shop front.

Nearly half of women admitted that they felt embarrassed when asking how much something is when the price isn’t displayed on the label.

The same amount of women said that this means they feel a lot more comfortable browsing designer clothes online than in store.

It’s thought that the luxury sector is set to grow 57 per cent in the next five years, pushing its worth to £9.4 billion.

Imogen Rimington from PayPal says, “It’s been more than two decades since Julia Roberts’ character was famously turned away from Rodeo Drive, and this research shows that today many consumers still identify with her.

“But the tide is turning thanks to the rapid rise in online and mobile shopping.  Consumers are shopping how and when it suits them, and in doing so they’ve overcome those barriers they had previously seen around luxury stores.

“At PayPal we’re expecting to process $20bn in mobile payments this year, which goes to show that consumers are not just browsing, but also buying on their mobiles today.”