6 tips to get the right size when shopping online

Do you end up with ill-fitting clothes and shoes when shopping online? Here are tips by experts to help you along.

The biggest concern for shoppers while doing online shopping is the right size. Though the size chart is universal, the manufacturing of each brand differs, making it a challenge to shop for footwear and clothes online. Carl Virk, director of Carlton London, and Ayushi Gudwani, founder and CEO of FableStreet, offer some tips:

* Check the size chart: One of the most crucial aspects of buying footwear online is determining the size. Therefore, it is essential to measure your foot and follow the size guide for every online purchase. There are five types of measurements you usually get to see online that is size in centimetres, UK number, US number, EU number and size in inches.

* Measurement of feet: It is of utmost importance to take the correct measurement of your feet before online shopping. One foot may be larger than the other, so measuring the larger foot is recommended. This way you won’t get stuck with a pair of ill-fitting, painful shoes that you won’t wear.

* Size variation with different footwear: It is imperative to measure your feet while wearing socks, which will increase the size by half an inch. Likewise, when you are trying on winter boots, make sure you have thick socks that you would probably wear with boots during winters. Socks can make a big difference in sizing.

* Opt for the safer brands: Over time, people become loyal to a few brands and rely on them for comfort and quality. Experimenting with different brands and styles is a good idea. However, it is always better to get the look and feel of the new brand via traditional shopping. While buying online, stick to the pre-owned brands.

* Inconsistent sizing within the same brand: Most brands, especially Indian brands, do not have consistent sizing based on standard body sizes. You may fit into a size S of one style of the brand and size M of another style of the same brand. This becomes trickier online since you will have to engage in the process of exchange and return.

Another common thing with Indian brands is that their sizes are one size smaller than global size charts (i.e. a size M of Indian/local apparel brand is usually in line with size S of international brands). Since most buyers were initially introduced to Indian brands before the launch of international brands, they mistakenly order as per their knowledge of Indian brands and end up getting a larger size than their actual requirement. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the sizing algorithm of that particular brand before making a purchase. Ideally, the online platforms needs to have a size chart comparison.

* Conflict in sizes between the chart and actual product: The size charts published for every garment online are not consistent with “actual” product size. In other words, many products have incorrect size charts as no detailed diligence is done at SKU (Product) level while uploading lakhs of products in these stores. They are usually standard guide charts for the brand and since there are thousands of SKUs for a given brand, you end up seeing variations in sizes and fits across SKUs for the same brand.