The nightmare scenario? The box is carefully opened with barely contained excitement, they jump up and down as they rush to try it on and it’s two sizes too small. Unfortunately, it’s all too often the case that the perfect gift is tried on and the gift giver ends up explaining away about the store’s flexible return policy, while the recipient goes on about how it’s the thought that counts. Buying clothing is already confusing, e-commerce’s boom took it one step further, and then trying to shop for someone else makes its mission impossible.
Last year, UPS accurately predicted that it would process around 1.9 million returns on the second of January, which it dubbed National Returns Day; those returns represented a 41% increase year over year. This year it remains to be seen how returns will compare to the previous holiday season, but one thing is abundantly clear – a process to decrease returns is more vital than ever before and is increasingly a key determinant between successful retailers and those that fail. The supply chain crisis already has consumers frustrated with delays while holiday spending hit new records, suggesting a potentially huge return volume. Keeping potentially hard-earned gains and customers already frustrated with potential delivery delays for the long-term comes down to returns.
The problem starts at the stores themselves. A size medium from one brand is a large from another, the different cuts in jeans translate into different sizes for one same person, and lingerie is challenging enough to pick out in-store to even attempt to buy online. Different brands use different sizing charts and have varying measurements and standards. Those differences produce extremely high percentages of apparel returns, while stores continue to struggle to deal with them.
One widely cited survey found that in 2021 only 58% of retailers accept online purchase returns in-store or offer instant credit for returns and fewer than half (47%) provide in-store offers or coupons for returns. What then can be done for customers to have a more pleasant experience and retailers to better understand their shoppers and reduce returns?
MySize’s approach is to digitize inventory sizing so every unique fit, or complex item is known. Retailers need only to add a white-labeled plug-and-play widget that syncs directly to their size charts and allows customers to measure themselves so that both their unique size and the retailer’s specific cuts and measurements are matched perfectly. For that, the solution leverages sophisticated, cutting-edge sensors found on every smartphone. With a few clicks and waves of the phone, the perfect fit for each particular individual is located and recommended.
MySize’s family account feature takes that perfect fit power and multiples it.
The new MySize family account capability allows all members of a family, or even just a group of friends, to have one account where they can store their accurate measurements and their preferences and have it paired with perfectly fitting clothing. With the new family capability, gift-giving is no longer a nerve-racking guessing game for customers, while retailers no longer face costly returns nightmare scenarios full of multiple orders and huge volumes of returned items.
That’s a big deal because the status quo is alarming for virtually any retailer not named Amazon.
The choice for retailers couldn’t be clearer – on one side are the interests of their customers and their own bottom lines, and on the other is the prospect of gift sales followed by a mountain of costly returns.
Sizing tech is a proven method to decrease returns by up to 50%. MySizeID’s new feature now allows shoppers to harness that solution to buy their gifts with the same confidence that until now was reserved for individual shoppers alone.
