Things to keep in mind when shopping for ethnic wear online

Online shopping is a bane and a boon. On one hand, it makes shopping a comfortable experience. And on the other, it has become a sneaky way to loot people. Here are a few ways to shield yourself against any mishap when shopping for ethnic wear online:

1. Brand authenticity:

Try searching ethnic kurtas online and you would know there are countless labels out there. Now how do you choose the right one? With the help of a few touch points like:

• Social media presence:

If the brand from whom you want to buy ethnic kurtas online has no online presence, chances are that it is not reliable. Additionally, if you see the brand’s presence on Instagram but see something fishy like comments being disabled, no tagged photos, and no COD, it would be better to avoid shopping with them.

• Contact details:

Look if the label has offline presence. If yes, you should be able to easily find their address in case your shopping goes wrong. In the case of no offline store, look for phone number, email id and office address. And if all of these details are missing, do yourself a favor and don’t shop from them!

• Reviews:

Every brand that wants to thrive will care about its customers and their reviews. If you find ONLY negative or ONLY positive or zero reviews when you google the brand, take the other way and don’t shop!

2. Sizing:

Every brand follows a different sizing norm. For instance, let’s say you wear size L. But due to our relaxed silhouettes, a kalamkari print dress in size S from Vishnu might be right for you. Long story short – measure yourself every time before purchasing ethnic wear online. Then compare it with the size chart given & order accordingly to avoid sizing issues later.

3. Shipping, exchange, return & refund:

This is one of the most important yet the most neglected aspects of shopping ethnic wear online. Before you rush into buy the indigo palazzo your heart can’t get enough of, check all these policies. For instance, some brands offer free shipping over X while some don’t at all and others like Vishnu offer free shipping on ALL orders. Likewise, some sites like Ajio charge convenience fees & others charge on exchanges. However, at Vishnu size exchanges are free and there is no convenience fee!Additionally, check returns – does the brand offer pick-up or do you have to self-ship. And if you have to self-ship does the brand reimburse shipping cost. Lastly, the refund – does the brand offer store credits or initiates into the source account as well. All these elements might sound little but actually create a big difference in your online shopping experience.

4. Quality:

When it comes to ethnic wear, quality is more compromised than known to the public. Let’s take ajrakh print kurti as an example. Vishnu works with Kaarigars from Kutch and other parts of India to design every ajrakh print kurti. While others simply print it from a machine and market it as authentic ajrakh kurti. When shopping for heritage ethnic wear online, research to understand if you are actually getting what you pay for.