Investigating how online fashion product page design affects the consumer's clothing fit appraisal

Clothing fit is the most important consideration during the consumer's garment appraisal process but is the primary reason for the extensive number of online returns generated in the fashion industry. This suggests that when shopping online, consumers are not provided with sufficient information about the fit of a garment. This issue is even more imperative now as COVID-19 has accentuated the shift to shopping for clothing online. Thus, how fashion retailers communicate clothing online is a critical challenge requiring immediate attention. Underpinned by the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) framework, this research undertakes a between-subjects factorial web-experiment to investigate how different types of fit information affect the consumers' online garment evaluations and purchasing decisions. The results from 400 UK female responses show that whilst the presence of diverse body shapes (vs. one body shape) enhances the consumers' garment fit evaluations, it does not increase purchase intentions. Alternatively, verbal fit information in the form of clothing fit reviews (vs. absence) increased product fit diagnosticity but had no significant effect on concerns with fit online or purchase intentions. The results provide novel insights into how fashion retailers can enhance the communication of clothing fit on their product pages.