Buy two sizes, keep one, send the rest back. It has a name now — bracketing — and it has become the quiet default for online clothing shopping. Between 40 and 60 percent of online apparel and footwear shoppers now bracket, ordering multiple sizes or colors with the intention of returning all but one. For consumers it is a rational response to fit uncertainty. For brands it is a margin problem that is finally being measured.
How big is bracketing really?
The behavior is enormous, and it is concentrated in categories where fit is hard to judge from a photo. A 2026 analysis by Eightx, citing a broad survey of more than 2,000 US shoppers, put "wrong size" at 44 percent of all online returns — the single biggest reason anything comes back. In footwear-focused studies the share climbs far higher, reaching 93 percent in one UK study of online shoe buyers. Bracketing is the consumer's answer to that uncertainty: instead of guessing, they buy the uncertainty away.
The scale splits sharply by retail model. Single-brand direct-to-consumer stores see bracketing at roughly 3 to 10 percent of orders, while multi-brand retailers see 15 to 40 percent. New data from Narvar and Loop Returns puts the average DTC return rate at 28.4 percent across apparel, footwear, and home goods — up from 21.7 percent in 2023 and 24.9 percent in 2024. Return-rate inflation, not acquisition cost, is now the quiet crisis in DTC unit economics.
Who brackets the most
Bracketing skews young. The admission rate among Gen Z runs roughly four times the Boomer rate — about 69 percent versus 16 percent, according to Eightx's synthesis of survey data. Gen Z and younger millennials have normalized ordering multiple sizes as an extension of the in-store fitting room, a habit that platforms and free returns have made frictionless. If your customer base skews young, your structural return rate will sit higher than an older-skewing peer's even with identical product.
Geography matters too. Riskified's 2026 returns report, which surveyed 2,091 consumers across seven markets, found US consumers return items frequently at a rate of about 30 percent — elevated, but nowhere near China's roughly 70 percent. Notably, 45 percent of UK consumers consider bracketing acceptable behavior, and more than 60 percent of global consumers say they would adjust their return behavior if they knew the real cost of returns. Transparency, it turns out, changes behavior.
Why it is not (always) abuse
It is tempting to treat bracketing as abuse, but the keep-rate data argues against that. More than 75 percent of bracketed orders keep at least one item, which means most of it is product discovery — a customer finding their fit — rather than gaming a policy. The distinction matters, because punishing bracketing outright also kills the discovery that drives first purchases.
The genuine abuse is a smaller but costly slice. ReturnDotAI estimates a single return costs a retailer between $10 and $20 in handling and logistics, and "wardrobing" — wearing an item and then returning it — costs the US market an estimated $12.2 billion a year. The line between fitting and exploiting is real, but it is drawn far more narrowly than most shoppers assume.
What brands are doing about it
The winning response is not to ban returns but to reduce the uncertainty that causes them. Brands are investing in accurate size charts, detailed fit notes, real-model photography across body types, and honest fabric descriptions — the things that let a shopper choose the right size the first time. A plain-language fit note ("runs narrow through the midfoot, size up a half between sizes") consistently cuts both returns and the customer-service contacts that follow.
That philosophy is exactly why PHEFEE documents every piece in inches and lists its fabric composition up front. When a dress at /collections/dresses states its chest, waist, and hip measurements in inches, there is less reason to buy three sizes to be sure. Better information is the cheapest way to shrink the bracketing problem — for the shopper and the brand alike.
Frequently asked questions
What is bracketing in online shopping?
Bracketing is ordering multiple sizes or colors of the same item with the intention of keeping one and returning the rest. It is most common in apparel and footwear, where fit is hard to judge online.
How many online shoppers bracket?
Between 40 and 60 percent of online apparel and footwear shoppers bracket, depending on the study. Single-brand DTC stores see 3 to 10 percent, while multi-brand retailers see 15 to 40 percent.
Why do people bracket instead of buying one size?
Because fit is the top return reason — 44 percent of returns cite wrong size or fit. Bracketing is a rational way to buy certainty when a shopper cannot try the item on first.
Is bracketing the same as return fraud?
No. More than 75 percent of bracketed orders keep at least one item, so most bracketing is genuine product discovery. Return fraud, such as wardrobing, is a separate and smaller problem.
How can brands reduce bracketing?
By reducing fit uncertainty: accurate size charts, fit notes, real-model photography, and honest fabric descriptions all help shoppers pick the right size the first time.
Sources
- Eightx — Footwear Return Rate Benchmarks 2026: eightx.co
- Riskified — Rewriting the Rules on Returns (2026 report): riskified.com
- Narvar / Loop Returns — DTC return-rate data, via Online Store News: onlinestorenews.com
- Claimlane — Consumer Buying Behavior & Returns 2026: claimlane.com
Editor's note: This article was researched and drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by the PHEFEE editorial desk for accuracy and tone. Statistics are drawn from the sources listed above.
