Online shopping continues to grow as a trend for a lot of people. This shift in business escalated during the ongoing pandemic in the early part of 2020. Even before that, there is an estimate of 1.8 billion people worldwide purchasing their goods online.
This trend continues to grow due to the convenience it offers. It eliminates the need to wait in line as you can process your transaction after placing your desired items into the cart and off to checkout. It’s also safe when you buy online.
Today, we will look at how to buy clothes online. We will tackle some tips before you reach the checkout page.
Contents
1. Check the Measurements
When you buy clothes online, you have to check the measurements first. Take note of your sizes. After all, each brand would have a different set of measurements on the clothing, for example, Urban Clothing that they offer.
While you can do this easily in any of the store outlets, it’s a different matter when you shop online.
You may start by noting your chest, waist, and hip measurements. For the chest, go towards the fullest part of your bust when measuring. For your waist and hip measurements, try to measure them while sitting down as well.
Another factor in the measurement that you should note is the inseam. This comes to play when you look for pants that would fit you. Start with the uppermost part of your inner thigh, then towards where you want the cuff to be.
For women, the three sizes for the inseam are petite, standard, and tall. Making the inseam measurements should help you find the right fit.
2. Check and Compare the Size Chart
Once you have your measurements, try to check out the size chart. Compare the measurements and find the right size for your clothes.
This tends to vary between brands and vendors. This would also mean the clothes would have varying fits and cuts.
Some of these online shops host different brands. This means the size charts would vary as they may provide different measurements. In such a situation, go towards the designer’s website and get the size chart from there.
Consider sources that don’t offer a generic size chart. Some of the measurements in those size charts may not be accurate for the measurements you have.
Once you have the measurements, you should be ready to place the order for the clothes that suits your fancy. This leads us to the next step as you still have another aspect to consider about those clothes.
3. Read the Reviews
Found some clothing you like? Make sure to check the reviews for that product.
Online stores have a function that allows you to look at customer reviews. Here, you can see the comments from those who bought the product.
In the event that you don’t find any reviews on that particular item, you might want to do your research. These customer reviews can help you assess if the clothing is true to size or if you need to make adjustments. You also know other details, such as the material quality and the fit of the item.
The noticeable limitation in online shopping is being able to see and assess the item if it’s to scale. You will have to rely on online customer reviews and video reviews regarding that particular clothing.
4. Pay Attention to Fabrics Used
We mentioned earlier how you can only look at a piece of clothing and not be able to see if it’s up to size. The other thing you would notice is that you cannot feel the texture of the fabric at all until it arrives.
With this in mind, you have to familiarize yourself with the fabrics used on each clothing. Take note of the properties of each fabric. For example, take note of fabrics that have a stretchable property if you want to go for fitted clothes.
If you are in doubt of how a fabric feels like, you can test out the clothes that you currently have and feel the texture that it has. If this piece of clothing feels weird that you don’t wear it, take note of the fabric type from the tag. This helps you keep a note of what you should avoid when you look for clothes.
5. Take Note of the Return Policies
Online purchases can be a hit or miss. You might encounter times where the clothing you purchased does not meet your expectations. Make sure to check the return policies offered by the website.
With how the pandemic affected everything, a number of these retailer sites amended their policies. Take note of the updates and the instructions on the return. Also, take note of the relevant return deadlines in your calendar so you can still return what you purchased within the acceptable timeframe.
6. Keep a Running List of Brands and Online Retailers
One tip that you should also keep in mind is to keep a running list with you. This includes brands, fabrics, clothing styles, and cuts, and much more. Have a list of reputable clothing websites too.
This way, you have a reference for which shirts and pants to buy during your online shopping and what to avoid.
This cuts down the time for guesswork as you have a working list of your favorites. For example, you have a list of shirts that suits your taste. Or you might have a list of fabrics that you like from a certain brand.
Buy Clothes Online for a Convenient Experience
Take note of these tips when you buy clothes online. With these tips, you will have a better grasp of online shopping. You should be able to find something that tickles your fancy but still have a keen eye if it’s worth buying.
Did you find our online shopping guide useful? We also have other posts that you can take a look at as we cover a myriad of topics such as fashion and much more. Be sure to check out these guides right here, today