Raphael Thys
Over 65 percent of returns are size- and fit-motivated. scar - stock.adobe.com
As E-commerce continues to become the preferred shopping method for fashion consumers, the most common approach to uncertainty over fit and sizing has been overordering.
According to a new report from Presize, the size solution company with the goal of bringing one billion perfectly sized garments to shoppers by 2023, currently only 2 percent of online fashion shoppers buy perfectly sized garments.
The insights study, which analyzed the top 100 European retailers including Zara, Adidas, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Sezane and Asos, among others, aimed to understand the issues with sizing in the digital fashion industry. Of the companies, 77 shops have size charts on their product pages, 34 shops use size recommendation technology and nine shops do not offer any help with sizing.
Notably, data from Presize shows that not even 1 percent of shoppers click on size charts — finding them outdated. Of the 77 companies with a size chart, only 45 included measuring guides to explain how to navigate finding personal measurements to determine size. The authors of the report noted, by not having these guidelines, the companies made the size charts “meaningless.”
Moreover, the company’s data suggests that over 65 percent of returns are size- and fit-motivated.
“Sizing issues [have] various negative implications on stakeholders in the e-commerce fashion industry,” said authors in the report. “The user experience is significantly affected by size uncertainty, leading to a low conversion rate between the viewing and the purchase of selected wear. Additionally, the reception of clothing that does not fit mostly leads to a return, having a weight on the environment, as well as affecting the profit margins of retail companies.”
Presize’s report lists negative implications of rising returns including an increase in delivery costs, increase in labor and storage costs and having more stock out of action. Additionally, the environmental cost of returns results in higher carbon emissions by the multiple transportation modes used to deliver goods back to the retailer. Many of these returns also end up in landfills.
In its report, Presize lists Adidas as having the best all-around website for fit and sizing. The brand’s size chart allowed for a very comprehensive size recommendation and the sizing guide is very detailed and features instructions on multiple measurements. Additionally, full relevant dimensions of the model are given and customer reviews on fit were included.
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