UK women confused about sizing discrepancies – survey

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Jun 26, 2018

The majority of UK shoppers believe that clothes sizes vary “a great deal” between brands, with Miss Selfridge considered the worst offending retailer.

This is according to a YouGov Omnibus survey of 1,090 British women aged 18 and over, carried out online on 8-9 June.

The results show that UK shoppers are struggling to find their size across brands, especially when it comes to jeans, dresses, tops and trousers. 65% of those surveyed feel like the size of jeans varies the most between shops, but a similar proportion (63%) says the same of trousers.

Meanwhile, 57% of shoppers think dress sizes vary the most, and 52% finds the biggest discrepancies across tops.

Footwear is faring relatively well in this scenario, with only 15% believing that the size of shoes and sandals fluctuates a lot between shops.

The survey also asked shoppers which women’s clothing brands are the most out of sync with sizing standards, and teenage fashion brand Miss Selfridge emerged as the worst offender.

Only 30% of shoppers said Miss Selfridge’s clothes are about right for their size number, while 68% think they are too small for their size.

Brits are also struggling with Topshop and Zara’s sizing, while Marks & Spencer and Arcadia-owned Dorothy Perkins’ sizes were considered the fairest of the list by shoppers. The survey also looked at Next, Monsoon, New Look, Warehouse, Oasis, Boohoo, Asos, River Island, Primark and H&M.

Ben Glanville, Head of YouGov Omnibus UK said: “The results hint at a sense of bemusement that many shoppers feel across different stores. With several high-street fashion retailers struggling at the moment due to a variety reasons, our data indicates that eradicating sizing issues is one area in which the overall shopping experience can be improved.”