Survey: A good fit makes all the difference

Incorrect fit is costing retailers billions of dollars — literally.



In 2015, $62.4 billion worth of global apparel and footwear purchases were returned due to incorrect sizing, according to a survey by digital body analysis technology provider Body Labs.



The survey found that that 23% of all clothing gets returned, with 64% of respondents claiming “incorrect fit” as the major reason for the return. And 77% of respondents who prefer shopping online stated that poor fit is the biggest reason for returning clothing.



Women appear to be more fit-sensitive than men. If fit was not an issue, 91% of women would purchase at least one more article of clothing during a single transaction, compared to only 78% for men.



A desire for the proper fit also influences consumer decisions to shop for apparel and footwear items online (or not). Although 59% of shoppers prefer to shop in-store instead of online, 24% never shop for clothing online. In one good piece of news for online apparel retailers, high-volume and high-frequency clothing shoppers are 120% more likely to prefer shopping online.



In other results:



• Nearly half of all respondents (45%) said that they shopped for clothing at least once every other month online or in-store. When deciding what to buy and where to make purchases from, respondents demonstrated a strong reliance on fit as a determining factor.



• 95% of participants said they'd like to try on footwear before they buy it. And 46% "hate" trying on clothing in a fitting room, but still would before purchasing more than 70% of the time.



• 57% of consumers only purchase apparel or footwear online from brands or styles they know fit them.