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Is sizing a problem for online shopping?

Apparel sizing is a broken system. Take a moment to grab a few items from your closet. Do your clothes all have the same size label? Unless you shop exclusively from one brand, your wardrobe most likely spans a few sizes; you might wear a medium for one brand, but a large for another. And no, it’s not because your body has changed as much as you think it has. The truth is that the numbers on those labels are arbitrary, and there isn’t really a standardized apparel size system these days.

Size charts are a relatively new concept; they weren’t necessary back when people made their own clothes or had them tailor made. Size charts became necessary when ready-to-wear clothes became popular, and so in 1939 the U.S. commissioned a study to measure the bodies of 15,000 women in order to create a standard system. This system, which was created in 1958, failed for several reasons- the numbers were arbitrary (so women wouldn’t have to share their true measurements with others), and it wasn’t inclusive of all body shapes.

A size 8 dress today was a size 16 dress in 1958.Vanity sizing is also to blame for the lack of standardization- as people grow bigger, brands are sizing down to make shoppers feel more confident about their bodies and purchases. However, these brands aren’t adhering to a standard and are rather basing their sizes on their respective target consumer audience. An article by TIME shows just how differently a “size 8” can be defined today – for Zara, it means 27.6” in the waist, but for Calvin Klein it means 29.5”.

Thanks to all these factors, rather than having standards in clothing sizes, what we’re left with today are rough “references” at best. Different countries also have different systems, and, to top off the absurdity, even shirts within the same brand may size differently depending on the design and fit. It’s not difficult to see why this lack of standardization is a nightmare for shoppers, especially when it’s become more popular to browse and purchase online, where it’s impossible to replicate the same offline experience of trying on a product.

Unfortunately, this isn’t just a problem for shoppers.

Sizing problems plague e-commerce merchants in several ways.

Returns not only lead to lower profits due to the lost sales, but also higher costs due to the extra labor necessary for inspecting and restocking the returned goods. Sourcing more merchandise to keep inventories stocked also comes with extra costs. It’s important to keep in mind as well that an estimated half of all products no longer have value once returned, and therefore probably can’t be resold.

Uncertainty over sizing can lead to purchase hesitation and lower conversion, especially for those who don’t have the means or time to buy now, return later. Without a reference product from the same store, a first-time shopper takes an even higher risk when making their first purchase from a new store. Unless they find a way to instill higher buying confidence in customers, new e-commerce merchants struggle to increase conversion and profit.

Unclear sizing on products leads to a drain on overhead, as merchants need to allot more manpower to handling individual inquiries from shoppers regarding sizing.