5 SIMPLE RULES TO MAKE SHOPPING FOR LINGERIE ONLINE A SUCCESS – The Lingerist

With only 50% of women buying lingerie online, many of us are still hesitant to buy our most personal clothing items on the internet. The number one reason? Fear of not finding the right fit!

While other fit sensitive clothing categories like footwear or jeans were much quicker to set foot in e-com channels, lingerie ist still lagging behind. And to be honest, we are not surprised.

With statistics swirling around the internet, claiming that 90% of women are wearing the wrong bra size, it's not really helping you to make buying decisions with confidence.

Or to give you another example: Are we the only ones who are talked into hour-long lingerie fittings every time we enter a physical lingerie shop? It seems as if without at least 40 minutes of a try-on-marathon surrounded by the buzzing and smiling fit specialists, it becomes impossible to find the right bra on your own.

This, in fact, is also the reason why so many women came to dread lingerie shopping so much that they're fearfully postponing it like visits to the dentist.

YOU'D BE SURPRISED TO READ HOW SHOPPING FOR LINGERIE ONLINE HAS MANY ADVANTAGES THAT PHYSICAL UNDERWEAR BOUTIQUES SIMPLY CANNOT PROVIDE YOU

Here are our 5 simple rules to follow to makes your next online shopping spree a guaranteed success:

#1 START WITH A BRA SHAPE YOU WEAR OFTEN

If you’ve never bought lingerie online, start shopping for bra shapes that you are already wearing. If you're wearing underwired demi bras (covering half of your breasts) or plunge bras (with a deep neckline) day in, day out, then these should be your first pick when you order online. Because you are familiar with the shape, you can more easily compare it with the bras that you already own and love.

#2 LOOK FOR ''EASY-FIT'' BRAS

What most fit specialists in stores are not telling you, is that not all bras fit the same way because they're probably too focused nailing you down to one bra size. Because bras are highly technical garments, as soon as you change one detail - everything changes.

The best bras for you, if you're just starting out with shopping online, are soft triangle bras or bralettes (yes, even if you're on the larger busted side! Check our selection of bralettes for big cups here) because one size fits in fact several sizes.

Another trick to find ''easy-fit'' bras is fairly simple: They're usually the ones that look rather plain. We agree, underwear with strappy details, cutouts, and lacey layers look great, but unfortunately, these extras can compromise the fit and can make it harder to find the right size for you.

A great first lingerie set to buy online is the Bare Set (see link below to get 10€ off) which comes in variations from bra top, to underwire, to bralette , to thong to brief. Every one of our customers seems to love it - this set is a true keeper.

#3 ORDER SEVERAL SIZES AND TRY BEFORE YOU BUY

Order with the mindset that you will return some pieces. You probably wouldn’t walk into any clothing shop, grab the first item you see and expect that it fits you perfectly? Thankfully, filing returns is easier than ever and most online shops (The Lingerist included) offer it for free. The dealbreaker here is that more often than not, you have to pay upfront - annoying if you actually need your hard-earned money for something other than lingerie.

That's why we implemented an after pay service (called Klarna) that allows you to pay only for those items that you want to keep after you tried them on. Look out for services like these on the internet, because they make shopping online a whole lot more comfortable.

#4 TAKE YOUR TIME WHILE YOU TRY ON

We interviewed about 30 women of which 90% admit they bought lingerie in a shop that they never wore outside the fitting room. Shockingly, the average amount spent on never-worn lingerie is about 250 Euros per year per woman!

Those are the bras that look great while you try them on in the fitting room, so you happily buy them, and after wearing them for a day never put on again... Why? Because while wearing your new bra in real life, you realize that after 5 minutes the side boning begins to itch. Or there's an undesirable visible gap when you wear it under your favorite T-shirt. Or the band rides up while you bend down to empty the dishwasher. There are endless scenarios...

Think about it, most fitting rooms are small and cramped - not really the space to emulate the movements that your future bra has to withstand in your daily life.

The advantage of trying on lingerie at home after ordering it online is that you can actually test how it holds up (quite literally) in your daily life. We recommend trying a bra for about 15 minutes while you go on about your routine. You will quickly realize if you feel comfortable and would like to keep it. Also, check out our Home Fitting Guide to learn about our ultra-easy 7-step fit-check.

#5 CHECK UPFRONT IF YOU CAN ASK FOR PERSONAL ADVICE

Just like in clothing shops, it would be strange if you could not ask for personal advice from a shop assistant. A good online lingerie shop should offer the same service (you can schedule your personal fit session with The Lingerist by setting up an online appointment via the live chat on the bottom right) or at least provide you an email address where you can reach out to staff members if you are not sure about the fit.

Now that you know what to look out for, and which pitfalls to avoid, it's time to try for yourself! Browse our curated collections for lingerie, knowing that you have nothing to lose. Let us know what your experience has been with lingerie shopping so far in the comments below. Any questions? Reach out to us via inof@thelingerist.com and we're here for you!