A new study, conducted by Adobe Analytics, has shown that customers have returned clothings worth $1.39 Billion that they bought during the holiday season. e-commerce sales touched $14.12 billion during this holiday season, an increase of 20 per cent. However, half of these purchases will be returned, the study shows. Americans are expecting to return clothes ordered online due to poor fit.
Having the wrong fit has significant consequences for brands, with nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) of those surveyed having returned items ordered online that did not fit, this is a wide-reaching issue. In fact, as first-time customers, nearly half of shoppers (45 per cent) would not return to a new brand if the clothing they ordered did not fit, or if they received the wrong size. Customers have caught on to this problem too, as 50 per cent of those surveyed are expecting to return clothing ordered online this holiday shopping season.
A majority of people, about 91 per cent, are not satisfied with the fit of clothing ordered online. “Brands have been playing a costly guessing game when addressing the sizing and fit of their customers for decades. If apparel companies do not rethink their strategy, they will continue to haemorrhage billions of dollars every year in returns and dissatisfied customers,” said Greg Moore, CEO of BodyBlock AI. “By taking a BodyFirst approach, companies can efficiently design for the true shapes of their customers and sell the right trim and size to each customer; resulting in increased consumer confidence, conversions, and reduced returns. BodyBlock AI helps brands create a better customer experience and increase their sustainability quotient.”
Solving the fit problem will be highly beneficial for brand loyalty and retaining new and current customers alike. An overwhelming 89 per cent of shoppers surveyed were likely (28 per cent) to very likely (61 per cent) to order more clothes from a brand if the first item they ordered fit well. This would bode well for new and returning customers as 88 per cent of those surveyed said they would shop online more if they did not have to worry about fit. In fact, 17 per cent of shoppers surveyed would do all of their clothing shopping online if they didn’t have to worry about poor fit, and 40 per cent said they would do at least 50 per cent more shopping online. If clothing ordered online fit perfectly, 87 per cent were very likely (58 per cent) to likely (29 per cent) to buy more of that same item, or more from that same brand.
