It’s clearly convenient sitting in the comfort of your home scrolling through a catalogue of clothing online. What you may fail to realize is that this “convenience” of purchasing clothing online can become your worst nightmare.

Research suggests that consumers are increasing their online purchases of clothing and footwear – more than any other product category.

The introduction of online shopping dates back to the 1980’s when English entrepreneur, Michael Aldrich launched Redifon’s Office Revolution – an online service which allowed consumers, agents and companies to transact business electronically through an online platform.

This paved the way for the e-commerce revolution. Impressively, this revolution has seen major breakthroughs for companies who have taken advantage of this niche to make millions in profits – from customers happy to avoid long queues in brick-and-mortar establishments, to purchase clothing online.

However, big challenges still exist for consumers. These include:

INFERIOR PRODUCTS

This is the biggest problem online shoppers face. For example, you see arresting photographs of a fabulous dress with a wonderfully detailed description. You love what you see and decide to place an order. The dress arrives – and you realize it’s nothing close to what you saw advertised. It’s best to bear in mind that photographs can be extremely misleading.

DELIVERY PROBLEMS

I’ll bet over 90% of individuals who love purchasing clothing online are attracted by the opportunity of receiving their items, right at their door step. In spite of the successes online merchants have chalked-up with respect to home deliveries, issues remain. Unlike conventional shopping, you can’t receive your clothes on-the-spot when you shop online. Your purchase(s) will only be delivered to you in the next couple of weeks or days, if you’re lucky. Even then, you might receive your clothes soiled or damaged.

CLOTHING RETURNS

Even though some online merchants supposedly allow consumers to return certain items after they have been delivered, it’s so rare! Even if you’re assured of an item return, you will for sure incur additional charges.

IMPERFECT FIT

When purchasing clothing online, finding that perfect fit is hardly easy. Why? Because you won’t have the opportunity to try on the piece to see if it fits well or not. If you’re not fussy, there’s no problem. But for fashion aficionados, a good fit is of paramount importance.

ADDITIONAL CHARGES

This is another unpleasant experience you’d have to face when purchasing clothing online – having to pay more than you budgeted for. Always read the fine print, and be sure what is the total amount you need to pay before you confirm your order.