Consumer reports online shopping survey

I just received the results of this year's Consumer Reporters online shopping survey - and it's really interesting, especially during this peak shopping season.

The survey revealed that 85 percent of respondents were satisfied with their online clothes-shopping experiences.

Shoppers encountered relatively few problems, and most of those were resolved quickly. None of the 39 online clothing stores rated by Consumer Reports fared poorly, but readers gave worse marks in areas including quality, Web site, ordering, and fit for Chadwick's (75), Haband (72), and Newport News (71).

Most people still buy clothes in actual stores, but the tide might be turning. Last year, Americans ordered more apparel, accessories, and shoes online--almost $23 billion worth -- than any other category of merchandise. "Consumers will save gas and avoid crowds by shopping online," said Tod Marks, senior project editor, Consumer Reports. "They shouldn't be nervous about the outcome since CR's ratings include a wide range of stores with high marks across the board."

 The full online clothing store ratings are featured in the December issue of Consumer Reports and online at www.ConsumerReports.org but here's some more about online clothing shopping:

 -A Big Name is No Guarantee.
At Old Navy, readers called the quality of clothing "Excellent" for only 32 percent of purchases; at Sears, just 29 percent. Victoria's Secret, the Gap, JCPenney, and Kohl's fared about the same.

-Clothes fit, usually.
Overall, clothes proved too big or too small just 7 percent of the time. There were more problems with size accuracy at Sears, Woman Within, Chadwick's, Haband, and Newport News.

-There were many happy returns.
Respondents sought a refund or exchange for one in four purchases. They were unhappy with the result only 3 percent of the time, though 15 percent said the cost of returning items was high. One site stood out as excellent: Zappos, which focuses on shoes and offers free delivery and free return shipping.