As consumers, we love nothing more than jumping aboard a new micro trend or aesthetic, and platforms such as Pinterest and TikTok have made it easier than ever before to keep up with all the latest trends.
Colour is at the heart of every fashion, interior and style trend, but in the fast-paced world of 2024, colour is so much more than pastel tones and monochrome palettes. It's no surprise that the likes of Dulux and Pantone release an annual 'colour of the year'.
In this article, we used the art of web scraping to analyse leading ecommerce platforms, in order to reveal the most popular consumer colour choices and shades across thirteen of the top UK ecommerce categories; womenswear, menswear and homeware.
Data extraction enabled us to analyse approximately 600,000 items across the three fashion and home interior categories, to find the most common colours in each category. We then used Pinterest to search for each of the most popular colours across each category, using search terms such as 'blue womenswear' and 'green menswear' to collate the most popular shades of each colour. 🔍
Hex Colour Picker for Chrome was also used to note the specific colour shades that were most frequently displayed for the top 10 colours across womenswear, menswear and homeware. Finally, the hex codes were translated into the specific colour shade names using a hex code translation tool.
So, whether you're looking to repaint a wall or refresh your wardrobe this season, what are the official 'shades of 2024'?
Web scraping for consumer research
ℹ️ We have a lovely article, dedicated to what is web scraping? Please feel free to check it out, should you wish to learn more about web scraping, how it differs from web crawling, and a comprehensive list of examples, use cases and technologies.
The most popular consumer colours
We delved into the three key ecommerce categories to truly understand which colours resonate with consumers in 2024. The following are the most popular colours and shades across womenswear, menswear and homeware.
Casper blue is the popular womenswear colour
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Blue - shade 'Casper' (#ADB7CC)
Think sky blue but with an edge. Taking the number one spot as the most popular womenswear colour is 'Casper'. This muted shade of blue could almost be mistaken for grey, making it super versatile for styling across different seasons.
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White - shade 'Periwinkle Gray' (#D4D6EA)
At number two is ' Periwinkle Gray'. It's technically part of the white colour category, with a refreshing undertone of purple that creates a pretty pastel hue, reminiscent of its namesake flower. Whilst this colour isn't strictly seasonal, it really pops during the spring season.
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Green- shade 'Chateau Green' (#409B6A)
Move over 'Forest Green', it's time to make way for 'Chateau Green'. Deep, lush greens have been popular for some time, but this bold yet muted tone is having a moment in the womenswear category. Tenniscore inspired perhaps?
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Pink - shade 'Wewak Pink' (#EF9CBC)
Coming in at number four is the sweetest shade of pink, 'Wewak Pink'. It seems that 'Barbiecore' is still here to stay with this coming in at number four.
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Grey - shade 'Natural Gray' (#8F8D87)
The fifth most popular womenswear colour is 'Natural Gray'. Neutrals have been growing in popularity across this category in theme with the minimalism trend and building a capsule wardrobe collection.
Cerulean Blue is the popular menswear colour
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Blue - shade 'Cerulean Blue' (#2554B1)
Topping the list at number one as the most popular menswear colour of 2024 is a vibrant blue hue. 'Cerulean Blue' is reminiscent of the sky on a perfect summer's day; it's no wonder this bold shade has captured the attention of consumers.
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Grey - shade 'Bombay' (#ACACAE)
Number two on the list is 'Bombay'. This silver-grey tone is perhaps one of the most versatile shades which could be the reason it's proven to be so popular amongst consumers.
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White - shade 'Soft Amber' (#CBC0B1)
Keeping in with the neutral theme, 'Soft Amber' sits at number three on the menswear list. This soft, earthy shade is hugely popular right now and perfectly complements a muted colour palette.
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Green - shade 'English Holly' (#022D19)
At number four is 'English Holly'. This deep, rich green instantly transports you to the depths of a peaceful, dense forest. In certain lights, this dark green tone could almost be mistaken for black which could be why it's proven to be such a popular and versatile colour amongst consumers.
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Navy - shade 'Chathams Blue' (#1A3F80)
Ranking at number five on the menswear list is a calming, yet creative shade of blue. 'Chathams Blue' is a modern take on the traditional electric blue; the slightly muted tone adds a touch of versatility and softness to what is often described as a bold colour category.
Bon Jour white is the popular homeware colour ⚪
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White - shade 'Bon Jour' (#EBE7EA)
It's no surprise that this warm, neutral shade comes in at number one as the most popular homeware colour. With a combination of grey and beige undertones, this muted shade is extremely versatile and it's easy to see why it's proven to be so popular within the homeware industry.
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Grey - shade 'Nobel' (#B6B6B6)
Grey hues have been a popular choice amongst interior enthusiasts for some time now and it appears that trend isn't going anywhere. 'Nobel' is a soft shade of grey that will add depth to a room, without being too bold. To make a statement, team it with a pop of colour in your favourite shade.
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Multicoloured - shades 'New York Pink, Science Blue, Punch' (#D18086, #0646CA, #CD3025)
If the third most popular colour is anything to go by, it seems we've become much more daring when it comes to our choice of colour within the home. At number three, is a multicoloured combination of 'New York Pink', 'Science Blue' and 'Punch'. These vibrant tones have proven to be hugely popular as consumers decorate their homes with fun pops of colour.
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Brown - shade 'Cedar Wood Finish' (#7C2200)
From colour pops to neutrals; at number four is a rich, deep brown shade. 'Cedar Wood Finish' perfectly encompasses our love for natural materials in the home to create a calming, harmonised space.
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Blue - shade 'Breaker Bay' (#659EA7)
At number five is a fun and creative shade of blue, within a subtle hint of green. This soft, muted shade is the perfect way to add some colour to the home, without it feeling too bright. The hazy tone perfectly encapsulates the ocean, adding a touch of serenity to your space.
Scrapingbee's top tips on scraping E-commerce data
💡 If you're interested in learning more about scraping E-commerce websites, we have an in-depth guide which breaks down tips and best practices for E-commerce scraping .
In this section, our ScrapingBee team share our top tips to consider to help you get the best results you are after when scraping ecommerce platforms 💪
Choosing the right extraction tool
To start the process, you need to choose a scraping tool which can handle the different challenges which come with extracting data from ecommerce websites.
Complex features are common with ecommerce sites, including JavaScript-based elements, pagination and CAPTCHAs which can also be in place to prevent automated scraping. E-commerce sites can also experience architectural updates, which can have a knock-on effect to scraping scripts.
Considering these challenges upfront, we recommend starting with an assessment of each tool and its functionalities. From Selenium to ScrapingBee, each tool supports a different system to handle scraping a range of different data types. Testing different tools can help you to find the most suitable option.
Managing diverse data types
It's an important consideration to alter your scraping methods to match the specific data you are targeting. Most ecommerce websites have a range of different data. From product information, such as colours, to customer reviews and pricing details, these different data elements have specific structures, which means you need to switch-up your scraping techniques.
For example, scraping product information like colour details, may require analysing HTML data, whereas extracting numerical data such as discounts, may involve implementing JavaScript techniques. Approaching the different data types with flexibility is recommended for smooth scraping.
Ensuring scraping activities are ethical
Implementing a respectful scraping approach is important! Our ScrapingBee team recommends reviewing each ecommerce website's terms of service, to ensure you are abiding to its policies.
An example of unethical ecommerce scraping would be overloading a platform with a large volume of requests, which can ultimately result in potential legal issues. Applying a considerate approach to ecommerce scraping can ensure you are building a healthy rapport with website operators. Respectful scraping is the way forward ✅
Implementing data cleaning techniques
When you initially scrape data, it may appear 'dirty'. This means, there may be a range of inconsistent information, duplicated contents or information that isn't relevant. Using data cleaning methods can help to strip out incorrect or irrelevant information, whilst validation techniques can help organise formatting and values.
Cleaning your scraped data is a highly beneficial consideration to ensure your analysis is correct from the outset and contains no inaccuracies.
Getting started with ScrapingBee
As we mentioned, there are a range of different tools which can support scraping ecommerce platforms, with our ScrapingBee technology having significant benefits for data extraction.
Firstly, you will need to register on the ScrapingBee platform in order to access the API. To help you get started, follow these registration steps we pulled together in order to get your account set-up.
[Easily get started scraping by copying this Google Colab which gives you super-easy to run starter code.]{https://colab.research.google.com/drive/11Sg0Pdaoq9FYfHlapYQd9Xjy9sHL2zZ3?usp=sharing}
Conclusion
So there you have it, we've delved into the wonderful world of colour to find the most popular shades for 2024 across three of the top ecommerce categories, using a combination of web scraping API and a hex code colour plugin. Topping the list in the womenswear category was 'Casper', a soft shade of blue, in menswear was the vibrant 'Cerulean Blue' and in homeware, the warm and neutral shade of 'Bon Jour' topped the list. Now that we know the most popular consumer colour choices, it's easy to see how these colour trends manifest themselves in our homes and personal style.
We've shown how web scraping API can be used to provide unique data and findings to identify new trends that will strengthen your stories. We have a top-tier support team ready to assist you and help you create interesting, trend-led content with no code web scraping . 🤓
Happy scraping from ScrapingBee!
Methodology Exclusion and caveats
Due to it being the most commonly used colour across almost all categories, we decided not to include the colour 'black' in our methodology so as not to distort the findings.
Approximately 600,000 items of menswear, womenswear and homeware were analysed from 13 top UK fashion and home websites (including at least 10 sites for each category) to find the most common colours available in each category.
Next
Marks & Spencer
ASOS
TK Maxx
JD Sports
H&M
Very
Zara
MandM Direct
Debenhams
House of Fraser
Matalan
Primark
Colour shades were calculated based on searching 'X colour' + 'X category' on Pinterest e.g. Blue Menswear. Using a hex code colour plugin, the research noted which colour shades are frequently displayed for the top ten colours researched across menswear, womenswear, homeware (excluding black). The hex codes (using the 'Colour Finder' tool on chrome) were translated into names of colour shades using a colour hex code translator tool .
