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Do size charts reduce returns?

Fit and size are the main reason clothes bought online are sent back. Here's how a size chart helps, what makes one effective, and how to measure whether yours is working.

Updated October 14, 20263 min read

Returns are one of the biggest costs of selling clothing online, and most of them come down to one thing: the item didn't fit.

Why clothes get returned

In a survey of 1,000 UK online shoppers, EY found that 76% of returned clothing is sent back because of a fit or sizing issue (EY, "Zero clothing returns: Digital future or fairytale?", 2016, as reported by Cambridge Network). Shoppers in the same survey returned about 2 in every 10 clothing items they bought online.

That makes sense: in a shop, people try things on. Online, the product page has to do that job, and for most products the size chart is the only thing on the page that tells a customer how the item will actually fit.

How a size chart helps

A size chart can't fix a product that fits badly, and no chart will stop every return. What it does is remove guesswork at the moment of choosing a size:

  • Customers pick the right size the first time instead of guessing from "S, M, L".
  • Fewer people order two sizes to send one back.
  • Customers trust the purchase more, so fewer leave the page unsure.
  • Fewer "which size?" support emails, because the answer is on the page.

What makes a size chart effective

A chart that's hard to find or hard to read doesn't help anyone. The ones that work have a few things in common.

Easy to find

Put the size chart link next to the size selector or just above Add to cart, where the customer is deciding. A link hidden at the bottom of the page or in the footer gets missed.

Real measurements, clearly labelled

  • Measure your own products. Don't copy a generic chart from another brand.
  • Say whether numbers are garment measurements (laid flat) or body measurements.
  • Use column names customers understand: chest width, waist, inseam, foot length.

See How to measure clothing for a size chart for a step-by-step method.

Shows customers how to measure

A labelled diagram, with letters on the drawing that match the steps, makes sure customers measure the same way you did. Without it, people measure differently and pick the wrong size anyway.

Both units

Customers think in the units they grew up with. Show cm and inches, or give them a switch.

A fit note

One sentence goes a long way: "Runs small, size up", "Relaxed fit", or "Model is 180 cm and wears M".

Works on a phone

Most shoppers will open your size chart on a phone. Keep it to the measurements that matter (four to six columns) and make sure the table scrolls or fits on a small screen.

How to tell if your size chart is working

Look at a few numbers before and after you add or improve a size chart:

  • Return rate, and the return reasons customers give, especially "too small" or "too large"
  • How many shoppers open the size chart on each product
  • Add-to-cart rate for shoppers who opened the chart compared with those who didn't
  • "Which size?" support messages

Products with lots of size-related returns are the ones to fix first: re-measure them, add a fit note, or add a how-to-measure diagram.

Jotly's Enterprise plan tracks size chart views, add to cart after viewing a chart, and conversion rate for each chart and device, so you can see which charts are helping and which need work.

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