L.L. Bean, Zappos, and Lands\' End Standouts in Consumer Reports\' ...

Tag : clothing
CR's survey finds 85 percent of consumers very or completelysatisfied with online clothing shopping



YONKERS, N.Y., Oct. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- L.L. Bean,Zappos, and Lands' End were among the top rated e-tailers inConsumer Reports' survey of more than 25,000 subscribers of theironline clothes shopping experiences at 39 online stores.



Those retailers, which scored 92, 91, and 89 respectively, tendedto provide superior clothing quality, more accurate descriptionsand sizing information, an informative Web site, and an easy way toorder and return items. Other retailers that did well for value,quality, fit, and selection included Duluth Trading, and Cabela's.



Ratings reflect subscriber experiences with up to two clothingpurchases from January 2007 to June 2008. A score of 100 would meanall respondents were fully satisfied, 80 means very satisfied, onaverage; 60, fairly well satisfied. Differences of less than 5points aren't meaningful.



The survey revealed that 85 percent of respondents were very orcompletely satisfied with their online clothes-shoppingexperiences.



That's a higher satisfaction score than for most other services CRhas recently measured. Only 3 percent of respondents expressed anydissatisfaction. People over age 40 were generally more satisfiedthan younger respondents. Shoppers encountered relatively fewproblems, and most of those were resolved quickly.



None of the 39 online clothing stores rated by Consumer Reportsfared poorly, but readers gave worse marks in areas includingquality, Web site, ordering, and fit for Chadwick's (75), Haband(72), and Newport News (71).



Most people still buy clothes in actual stores, but the tide mightbe turning. Last year, Americans ordered more apparel, accessories,and shoes online -- almost $23 billion worth -- than any othercategory of merchandise.



"Consumers will save gas and avoid crowds by shopping online," saidTod Marks, senior project editor, Consumer Reports. "They shouldn'tbe nervous about the outcome since CR's ratings include a widerange of stores with high marks across the board."



The full online clothing store ratings are featured in the Decemberissue of Consumer Reports, on sale November 4 and online at www.ConsumerReports .org.



Here's what else CR learned about online clothing shopping:



A Big Name is No Guarantee. At Old Navy, readers called the qualityof clothing "Excellent" for only 32 percent of purchases; at Sears,just 29 percent. Victoria's Secret, the Gap, JCPenney, and Kohl'sfared about the same.



Clothes fit, usually. Overall, clothes proved too big or too smalljust 7 percent of the time. There were more problems with sizeaccuracy at Sears, Woman Within, Chadwick's, Haband, and NewportNews.



There were many happy returns. Respondents sought a refund orexchange for one in four purchases. They were unhappy with theresult only 3 percent of the time, though 15 percent said the costof returning items was high. One site stood out as excellent:Zappos, which focuses on shoes and offers free delivery and freereturn shipping.



5 Tips for Shopping Online



Sign up for bargains. If you sign up for e-mail alerts from yourfavorite e-tailers, you'll hear about exclusive online specials.



Consider a company credit card. CR is not encouraging shoppers totake on debt, but if you're a frequent shopper at one store, adedicated charge card often provides perks. A no-annual-fee L.L.Bean card, for example, entitles users to free shipping andreturns, free monogramming, and the ability to earn coupons.



Buy what you know. Respondents who had previously bought the sameitem were more apt to be completely satisfied than first timebuyers (52 percent compared with 44 percent.)



Look for generous return policies. Lands' End for example, toutsthis guarantee: "If you're not satisfied with any item, simplyreturn it to us at any time for an exchange or refund of itspurchase price. Whatever. Whenever. Always."



See whether you can return locally. Some online companies make youship returns, even if they operate walk-in stores, but others letyou drop off merchandise at any store.



DECEMBER 2008

(C) Consumers Union 2008. The material above is intended forlegitimate news entities only; it may not be used for commercial orpromotional purposes. Consumer Reports(R) is published by ConsumersUnion, an expert, independent nonprofit organization whose missionis to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumersand to empower consumers to protect themselves. To achieve thismission, we test, inform, and protect. To maintain our independenceand impartiality, Consumers Union accepts no outside advertising,no free test samples, and has no agenda other than the interests ofconsumers. Consumers Union supports itself through the sale of ourinformation products and services, individual contributions, and afew noncommercial grants.









SOURCE Consumer Reports




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