5 Ways To Ensure Success When Clothes Shopping Online

Before this year (you know what I mean without making me say the words, right?), most women gravitated to shopping in person, not online. Back then, maybe you weren’t sure you would have success when clothes shopping online? But we’ve all made a switch to testing the waters with online clothes shopping, and some are finding that it saves them time and they’ve been happy with both their new clothes and the online clothes shopping process.

Like many new habits you’ve developed in the last year, you may not go back to shopping for clothes in person as much. Today, I’m sharing five ways to ensure success when clothes shopping online.

Like many new habits you've developed in the last year, you may not go back to shopping for clothes in person. Click To Tweet

1) Shop your favorite brands

My first tip is to find a few brands that you love and remain loyal to them. Once you have a few pieces from a manufacturer, and you see that it’s something you wear often and like the fit, it just makes sense to keep shopping with them.

Often brands will have some signature fabrics that they use in several of their pieces, possibly even from season to season. Fabrics can be tricky when shopping online, since you can’t see how they feel. But if you are shopping a favorite brand, you may be able to find pieces in fabrics you already have in your closet. And, if you’ve purchased several items from that brand and been happy with the fabrics, it likely means the quality is good and you’ll be happy again.

2) Do some quick research

Before you shop with a new brand, it pays to do a little research. Here are three suggestions:

Read the exchange/return policy — Every reputable brand will have info on their exchange/return policy on their website. Before making a purchase, check it out and make sure you’re comfortable with it. Many brands are making it easy for you with free exchanges or returns and printable return labels.
Read reviews — You can find brand reviews for most brands and it pays to take a few minutes to read them. Check Google, Facebook, and other websites to read what others are saying about the brand. Beware if all the returns are positive; even a great company will have an off day once in a while.
Phone a friend — We all like to get our friend’s opinions, and when shopping with a new brand, it’s a great time to ask around to see if any of your friends have tried them and what their experience was. It might give you an extra feeling of assurance when you hear what our bestie thinks.

3) Get the right size the first time

One reason that many women like to shop in a store, instead of online, is that they can try clothes on and make sure they get the right size the first time. But clothing websites will have sizing charts that are useful to find your size. You’ll first need to know your own measurements, so grab a tape measure and them jot them down to have when you’re shopping.

Then, check the website for a sizing chart that will help you hone in on what size to buy. If you appear to be between sizes, take into account the type of garment it is and how you want it to fit. One suggestion that I sometimes make is to get the same item in two sizes, if you’re not sure. Just remember to check the return policy if you do this.

4) Pay attention to the photos

When shopping online, the photos really matter. In fact, 93% of consumers consider visual appearance (the photos!) to be the key deciding factor in a purchasing decision (JustUno). When you check out the photos of the clothes, really look at them. How does it hang on the model? What styling ideas can you get? What “vibe” do you get about the clothes? Hey, does the model look comfortable in it?

Paying close attention to the photos can be one of the ways you ensure success when clothes shopping online.

5) Pay a little less

Once you find something you love and want to get it, don’t check out too fast. One of the easiest ways to save a little is to check how much you need to spend to get free shipping. If you’re close, you can add an item to your cart to qualify for free shipping. Check out the home page for the website to see if there are any specials or bundles that might work for you. You also can search the web for coupon or promo codes or sign up for one of the browser extensions that will do that automatically for you.

I also like to shop with a credit card that gives me rewards. With the card I personally use, I get surprise gift cards in the mail every other month or so, but many credit cards also will give you cash back based upon your purchase levels.