The benefits of a good sizing guide
1. Reducing returns
Online shopping is highly competitive. To gain some edge, many big brands now offer full refunds and free returns – no matter what reason the buyer has. Currently, 30% of all products purchased online are returned, and a massive 64% of clothing purchased online is returned because of sizing issues. While your rate of return isn’t 100% controllable, optimising your sizing chart can help reduce that number and alleviate the pressure on your operations teams, by improving the customer experience.
2. Build your brand and boost sales
When online shopping, any uncertainty about the sizing of products often leads buyers to quickly close the tab, switch sites or go shopping offline. A detailed sizing chart will help guide your customers through their shopping experience – and make sure they get exactly what they want. That kind of service gets rewarded with much higher rates of conversion, long-term repeat customers and word-of-mouth marketing.
3. Expand to international buyers
Reaching customers anywhere in the world – the sky should be the limit! However, if your sizing chart is causing customers even the tiniest bit of confusion, you’ll end up losing them faster than they found you – returning stuff domestically is hard enough. International customers need even more clarity around size and fit, and a well-devised size guide will give them that confidence to hit the buy now button.
How to optimise your sizing guide
1. Third-party sizing plug-ins
There is the option to use a sizing plug-in to keep things simple.
An extension for apparel websites with an amazing AI technology plug-in called Fit Analytics. It helps customers find their perfect size based on height, gender, body shape, measurements and data from previous customers. There are other tools out there in the market which can also be integrated into your site, making it easier for customers to find the right size online.
2. Use multiple models to show different sizes
This is a must for apparel and accessory online retailers – consumers need to see what items look like when worn, on as many different body types as possible. Your customers come in all shapes and sizes and your sizing chart needs to reflect that. Apart from being more inclusive, this will also reduce any confusion by making your product fit transparent.
3. Use product videos to highlight fit
In addition to great photography, add product videos that capture movement and highlight the material and detail. We’ve seen this work well not only with clothing, but items such as rugs, motorised goods, kitchen tools and toys.
4. Customer reviews to validate sizing
Online shoppers are incredibly savvy, and their options are endless. So, gaining their trust is crucial. 89% of customers now expect to access customer testimonials and reviews to help them in their decision-making. A whopping 97% of shoppers read product reviews before deciding to purchase, proving that reviews are not just nice to have, they’re critical to increasing conversions.
Check out Bazaar Voice, a review and rating extension for garnering reviews and showcasing them on your eCommerce store.