One of the primary reasons why online apparel returns rates are so high is because shoppers are unable to try on the clothing before they buy it. A great way to get around this is to offer sizing information for all dress size types. Even better, you can look into plug-and-play, integrated sizing applications that drop right into your website. These two elements have been shown to reduce the rate of online apparel returns exponentially.

Another reason shoppers commonly return clothing and apparel is because they didn’t like how it looked when they received the item. There is a really quick fix for this that you can use to help reduce the rate of returns. Simply offer multiple pictures of the garments from numerous angles. Also – be sure to feature a zoom-in option, so shoppers can see intricate details on buttons, collars, stitching and more.

Returns will happen. There is nothing that you can really do about it. What you can do is counter the return actually eating into your profits by being smart about how you manage them. One way is to offer store credit as opposed to an outright refund. Even if you do pay the flat rate shipping cost for the item to be returned, most customers will take the store credit, which means that they still ended up making a purchase at your store from you… one way or another.

By and far, studies have found that over 80% of all shoppers want online apparel returns to be hassle-free and convenient. Since over 60% of shoppers will take the time to read your returns policy, assure that yours is in par with other major retailers. Start viewing returns as a way to attract more customers. The returns will happen one way or another. How you handle them can mean the difference in soaring sales or surefire slumps.