How to Buy Clothes Online

Jul 29, 2010
Heather Fawcett

Shoppers are becoming increasingly comfortable with buying clothes online, The New York Times reports. Clothing is now a bigger draw for online shoppers than computers.

While buying clothes from online stores can be an easier and more relaxing experience than buying them in person, there are drawbacks. It can be difficult to tell whether an item will fit and flatter when a shopper is not able to try it on. Customer dissatisfaction with online clothing purchases is high, reports The Globe and Mail.

The situation can be made worse by poor return policies; stores often require the buyer to pay to ship the item(s) back to whatever destination they came from. For large or heavy items, such as shoes, the cost of shipping can be high enough to dissuade shoppers from making a return, even if the item is unwearable.

Despite these challenges, buying clothes online can be a positive experience if shoppers keep certain key considerations in mind.

Buy from a Store Where You Already Shop

One of the easiest ways for shoppers to ensure their online purchases will fit properly is to buy from stores they have shopped at in person. Thus, they will already have a sense of how the store sizes its items. Some stores and brands size down, while others, such as H&M, use European sizes that are often smaller than their North American equivalents.

Read the Reviews Before Buying Clothes Online

More and more online boutiques and allowing shoppers to rate and review the items they’ve purchased. This is an extremely helpful feature for shoppers, who can now discover whether the colour and sizing of an item is consistent with how the store is portraying it. The most helpful reviewers include their own measurements when discussing how a specific item fit their body. Shoppers can use this information to inform their purchases.

If a reviewer states that a size medium blouse was too large for her specific frame, and the shopper’s measurements are slightly larger, it may be the correct size for her. Shoppers should be cautious, however, about relying wholly on reviews when they are few or contradictory.

Compare an Item’s Measurements with Your Own Clothes

Many stores include the specific measurements, in inches or centimetres, of the items they carry. Look under the customer service or FAQ tab if these are not listed alongside each item. Shoppers may wish to measure several items in their wardrobe (ideally, those items that fit the best). Then they can compare these measurements with the store’s to determine if they should buy a Small, Medium, or Large (or however the store assigns its sizes).

Avoid Buying Pants Online

Pants, for many people, are one of the most problematic items to shop for. Fit can vary widely between brands and styles, especially for women’s pants. If a shopper must buy pants online, she may wish to choose pants with stretch added, in the event that the size is too small.

Choose Colours Carefully

Often, the colour of an item on a computer screen is not the item’s true colour. The brightness and clarity of a monitor may distort colour, as may the lighting used to photograph an item. Shoppers may choose to avoid colours that have a high probability of being unflattering, such as yellows and oranges. Universally flattering colours include medium blue, deep purple, and black. Even if items in these colours are a shade or two off their appearance on a monitor, it is likely that they will still be suitable.

References

Barbaro, Michael. “Less Risk Seen in Purchasing Clothes Online.” The New York Times. May 14 2007.

Smith, Joanna. “Online Apparel Tries to Sell the Perfect Fit.” The Globe and Mail. August 24 2007.