As I got older I found my tolerance for mall crowds has slowly demised. I’m not sure what it is but I cannot shop in a mall, especially during sales, for more than an hour. But, if I am in front of a computer, well you can catch me comfortably shopping on the sofa all day long! I get a lot of questions about shopping online and what to look for and what best ways to go about it. Shopping online is quite tricky at first because there are many things to look out for that many people don’t take into consideration. I am going to break it down for you all today and share with you my 6 simple tips to help you figure out how to online shop.
Acquire a measuring tape
This is probably the most important step in the entire online shopping process. Depending on the store and the make of the clothing, each brand manufactures their clothes different. For instance, I could be a size 6 at once store, and a size 4 at another, and an XS at another. While this can be frustrating and feeling very inconsistent, each online store has a size chart. They provide you with the appropriate measurements that coincide with each size in their store. By having a tape measure by your side, you are able to easily figure out what size would fit you best without the hassle of guessing.
Understand the return policy
This step is probably the second most important step to consider. If the garments don’t fit or you don’t like what you get, you need to make sure you can easily return and get your money back. Also, understanding the return policy can help you with tip number 1 above. If you have followed the step above and have measured your self accordingly, but you find yourself in between sizes and not quite sure what to do.
By understanding the return policy you can order multiple sizes, try them on at home, and decide which one to keep while having the comfort of easily returning the other sizes. I have seen many instances where people order multiple sizes online and the garments are either final sale, only receive store credit, or have to pay quite a bit of money to ship the items back. For myself, unless the store provides me with some sort of free return policy, I will rarely order multiple sizes.
Analyze the reviews
The way something looks online, might not be the reality of it once it shows up at your doorstep. There have been a numerous amount of times I have received a product that looked completely different or fit a certain way that was not clearly communicated by the distributer online. Always make sure to look and read the reviews. If the product had 50 reviews and the average rating is a 1 star. Chances are that product isn’t great. The reviews can also be helpful in the sense that if a dress or a skirt fit a certain way, many people will suggest going a size higher, or lower depending on the fit. I constantly check out the reviews and always find them extremely helpful when making the decision of purchasing an item online.
Check the style of fabric
For myself, my size depends a lot of the type of fabric and quality of material the garment is made of. If it is more of a stretchy material, I may tend to go a size down because of the stretch and give. If the item has more of a restrictive and stiff fabric I may go a size larger depending on how I like the fit. By checking the fabric before making the decision of purchasing an item, you can tell if it is worth the price or not. There have been many times I get sold on the item by the picture, but realize they are using cheap fabric and selling it at a much higher rate.
Visit a Store
If you are hesitant to purchase an item online, visiting a store might be your best bet. Especially, if you have never shopped at that store before, going in and trying on different garments to understand your sizing at that store can help a lot. I used to do this a lot when I first started ordering online. I wanted to get an understanding of what my sizes were at that store so when I wanted to go back and order something else another time I didn’t have to guess or estimate my size.
In-store parcel pick-up
This is a new system a lot more retailers are adopting and I utilize this service a lot. What you are able to do not is shop online, complete your purchase, and instead of shipping it to your home, you can go to the store and pick up the parcel. The reason why I love this method so much is that I don’t have to shop in stores, you are able to pre-shop, pick up your item, head over to the dressing room and try everything on. If something doesn’t fit you can easily return it right there and then with no hassle. You can order as many different sizes as you want and it makes shopping a little more easier and convenient for some people.
If you would like to check out more of my shopping tips then check out my Five Tips To Keep In Mind While Shopping.
