Consumer Perceptions and Barriers to Apparel E-Commerce Adoption in Ethiopia: A Descriptive and Thematic Analysis

Apparel e-commerce in Ethiopia remains at an early stage of consumer adoption despite rapid growth in mobile connectivity and digital payment infrastructure. This study presents a descriptive, mixed-methods investigation of Ethiopian consumers' perceptions of, and barriers to, online clothing purchase. A structured questionnaire combining closed- and open-ended items was administered online, yielding 399 valid responses after data screening. Descriptive frequency analysis was used for the quantitative items, while a reflexive thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke (2006) was conducted on 105 open-ended responses using NVivo 15. Results show that payment security (64.6%) and product misalignment (43.7%) are the leading concerns, mobile money is the most preferred payment method (52.7%), and social media is the dominant channel through which consumers discover online clothing sellers (64.8%). A majority of respondents want the option to bargain online, and social proof together with verified buyer reviews are the strongest levers of trust. The qualitative analysis identified seven interrelated themes, with erosion of trust in sellers as the most pervasive barrier, followed by product–description mismatch, payment sequencing risk, and the absence of formal, verifiable e-commerce platforms. The study concludes that building consumer trust through verified seller systems, secure payment guarantees, accurate size and visual information, and stronger delivery infrastructure is essential to accelerating apparel e-commerce adoption in Ethiopia, and it offers specific, evidence-based recommendations for platform developers, sellers, and policymakers.