In the past decade, online apparel shopping has seen tremendous growth, with many department stores’ ecommerce sales surpassing those of their largest brick-and-mortar locations and online only retailers, such as Shopbop and Zappos, becoming part of many consumers’ daily internet browsing.
Despite this growth, many consumers are still hesitant to shop online. The University of Alabama’s Babs Davis, an instructor in clothing, textiles and interior design, offers some “do’s” and don’ts” for online shopping beginners.
Do:
- Be sure to read the company’s shipping and return policy before you buy. Many e-commerce sites offer free returns within a given time frame, but some make the customer pay for returns and/or charge a restocking fee.
- Shop around. If you see a pair of shoes on an e-commerce site that you’re interested in buying, Google the name of the brand and style, and you might find it offered on another website for a lower price (or with free shipping). This is also helpful if the site you’re shopping with is sold out of your size.
- Read the reviews. Most e-commerce sites have customer reviews of products that can be helpful in determining how the garment may fit, comfort factor or the quality of the fabric. Many sites allow users to post pictures of themselves wearing the garment so you have the opportunity to see what it looks like on a regular person.
Don’t:
- Make assumptions about what size you should order. Size runs differently across brands, so while you may be a size 8 in one brand, you might need a 6 or 10 in another. Most e-commerce sites offer a size chart that can be helpful. When in doubt, order the item in more than one size and return the one that doesn’t fit.
- Be taken in by sites that are too good to be true. There are a lot of e-commerce sites that offer fashionable clothing at what seems like an incredible price, but many of these sites are based overseas, merchandise takes weeks to arrive (if it arrives at all) and they have strict return/refund policies. If you’re unfamiliar with a site, do a little research on the company, and look for online customer reviews before shopping with them.
