Online shopping offers plenty of advantages, but when it comes to buying clothes from ecommerce sites, there can be a few speed bumps along the way that may result in dissatisfied customers beyond the point of sale. When shoppers order clothing online, they may find the items they purchased don't fit. This can lead to dissatisfaction with a brand and a loss of sales unless the issues are rectified.

While a portion of online apparel sales that get returned may be due to customer-related issues, online merchants can make efforts to reduce the risk of error on their end. For instance, retailers can include measurements for individual items of clothing, such as bust, hips, inseam and sleeve length. These measurements provide more accurate depictions of products, whereas generic sizing charts may not align perfectly with all merchandise.

Some online retailers provide virtual fitting rooms that allow shoppers to enter their own measurements and see how clothing might look on their body type. Two engineering students from China recently developed software that relies on Xbox Kinect technology to create digital mannequins of individuals, according to Phys.org. This lets customers see what items will look like on themselves, rather than on a computer simulation with their measurements.

Forbes reported that the cost of shipping returned goods has dissuaded many shoppers from buying clothes online in the past, but these days, retailers like Zappos.com provide free shipping in both directions. In turn, shoppers may be encouraged to buy from sites like these again with the knowledge that it won't be a big deal if they need to make a return.