Ordering clothes online is sort of a crapshoot — it’s super convenient and if you’ve ordered from a website before you typically have a pretty decent idea of what your size in certain items are. However, not everything in your size fits just right.
Sometimes the exact same pair of joggers that you ordered from a website that you’ve visited and ordered from before fit drastically different and then you have to sit on a live web chat with a stranger who doesn’t understand why you’re returning a pair of joggers that you really like for the exact same size in hopes that the pair you just received were a manufacturing error and you haven’t somehow gotten shorter by three inches.
Sometimes that stuff happens.
But part of the convenience and allure of doing the online shopping thing is that you get to look at clothes and there’s a sense of immediacy and speed with which you can scroll through items that you might enjoy, and stuff that you don’t think would look great on you. It’s essentially window shopping from your couch.
Typically, I’m drawn towards well taken photos and a little bit of hype surrounding the clothes I’m buying. For instance, the aforementioned joggers were highlighted in a promo email I received and they had a great photo to boot. I ordered them. It was simple — except that I had to wait two weeks for them to arrive.
Locally, your mega-chain stores at the mall and the big box shops never really seem to have the same stuff that they list on their sites or include in their promo emails. It’s infuriating. There are truly very few places that do a great job of promoting their products that they carry in-store and give you a pretty detailed description of how they fit.
As little as I know about women’s fashion, Apricot Lane’s social media presence is outstanding at informing customers and fans about new arrivals, prices, and fits. It’s pretty impressive and I’m a bit jealous that there aren’t men’s stores that are capable of doing the same thing. Multiple times a day, Apricot Lane posts some of their latest pieces and gives a number of details on each one. Check out this example:
#141CUJUN This navy and white striped dress is an Employee Favorite! Simple and classic!Dress: $42Emily is 5’7…
Posted by Apricot Lane Champaign-Urbana on Tuesday, June 23, 2015
The beauty of this, though, is that customers can actually go to their shop on Green St. and then try on the items and walk out with them the same day. It’s just a better way to shop and for the women of Champaign, Apricot Lane is doing a great job of making the experience as easy as possible.