Just one in 100 online shoppers say their clothing size stays consistent between fashion brands, according to new research into the UK’s online fashion sizing problem.
British fashion brand Popsy Clothing surveyed over 1,800 of its UK customers about their experiences shopping across the wider online fashion industry for its new ‘Fit Fix Report’, finding that inconsistent clothing sizing across brands continues to fuel returns, unnecessary spending, and widespread frustration.
Almost a third of respondents (32%) said their usual size always varies between brands, while nearly half (49%) said it often does. Just 1% said their usual size never varies.
This widespread inconsistency is having a direct impact on the way people shop online. More than one in four respondents (27%) say they now regularly order multiple sizes of the same item with the intention of returning those that don’t fit – a practice known as “bracketing”.
Among those who say their size always varies between brands, this practice rises to more than one in three (36%).
When asked which clothing items were the most difficult to size correctly online in general, Popsy’s respondents ranked:
Jeans – 47%
Trousers and leggings – 43%
Shoes – 34%
Swimwear – 26%
The findings come at a time when several major fashion retailers have introduced or expanded charges and restrictions for frequent returns, as they attempt to reduce the cost of processing unwanted purchases.
However, for shoppers who no longer trust size labels and regularly order multiple sizes of an item to find the right fit more quickly, this risks making online shopping more expensive and frustrating.
Popsy’s further analysis of more than 273,000 Trustpilot reviews across five leading UK fashion retailers found that sizing and returns continue to drag down customer satisfaction
Of the reviews that referenced “size”, almost two-thirds (65%) were rated one star out of five, compared with just 15% rated five stars.
Popsy’s research suggests many returns may be avoidable if customers were given sizing solutions at the checkout, as nearly three in four respondents (74%) said they had returned clothing they would otherwise have kept if an alterations service had been available.
Lowenna, a Popsy Clothing customer, spent years avoiding certain high street brands and clothing styles because she expected dresses and trousers to be too long for her height, at 5ft. She said:
“I tended to avoid a lot of the main high street shops because I found the styles often made me look frumpy or overwhelmed my shape. After a while, I stopped expecting clothes to fit properly and simply accepted that many styles weren’t for me.
“As someone who had spent years struggling with lengths and paying separately for alterations, finding that Popsy offered free alterations as standard removed the biggest barrier I’d faced when buying clothes. Instead of wondering whether something will fit my height, I can order with confidence. It makes me feel included as a customer and allows me to enjoy fashion in a way I never really could before.”
Cherish Reardon, co-founder at Popsy Clothing, says: “One thing we’ve learned from listening to our customers is that poor fit doesn’t just lead to returns – it affects confidence. When you’ve spent years expecting clothes not to fit, you start avoiding certain styles altogether or end up settling for what’s available instead of what you actually love.
“The findings from our ‘Fit Fix Report’ show that shoppers don’t trust the size on the label anymore. Instead of feeling excited about buying new clothes, it’s now second nature to order multiple sizes ahead of time simply to improve the chances of finding something that fits you.
“We believe the fashion industry should be asking how we can adapt clothing to real people, rather than expecting people to fit into standard sizing that has long been proven to be outdated.
“At Popsy, offering an alterations service is one way we’ve been able to remove this barrier for our customers, helping them enjoy fashion with confidence instead of compromise.”
