How to tackle bracketing without hurting customer trust
Bracketing is easy to label as a “returns problem.” But most of the time, it’s really a confidence problem.
When shoppers aren’t sure what will fit, they do what any rational person would do: they try to increase the odds of getting it right in one delivery. In fact, bracketing is on the rise - moving from 18% in 2024 to 21% in 2025.
And that shift matters because bracketing doesn’t just affect return rates, it changes your costs, your inventory flow, and (ultimately) how customers experience your brand after checkout.
What is bracketing and why do customers do it?
Bracketing is when a shopper orders multiple sizes or variations, tries them at home, and returns what doesn’t work. Essentially, they using their home as a fitting room.
It’s not usually about gaming the system. It’s about avoiding a frustrating loop:
- order → 2. wait → 3. doesn’t fit → 4. return → 5. re-order → 6. wait again.
The root cause: fit is still the biggest trigger
Our research showed that, for online fashion brands, fit drives returns.
In 2025, over 34% of shoppers said they returned clothing because the item didn’t fit well (and that share increased versus 2024).
When “wrong fit” is the dominant failure point, bracketing becomes predictable. Shoppers aren’t just buying a product - they’re buying certainty. And if they can’t get that certainty from product information alone, they create it by ordering multiples.
Why bracketing hits brands harder than a “normal” return
Even when customers have the best intentions, bracketing adds pressure in ways that don’t show up in a single return label.
More items go out per purchase decision. More items come back. More items need to be processed, checked, and restocked. Bracketing may benefit shoppers but it increases complexity for brands.
It also creates a hidden inventory challenge: stock gets tied up while it’s sitting in homes, moving through carriers, or waiting to be processed on return. That can quickly turn a sizing issue into a merchandising issue.
The brands that reduce bracketing treat it as product + ecommerce (not just ops)
A common response to bracketing is tightening returns policies. But that often treats the symptom, not the cause - and can come at the expense of customer trust.
Our research points to a more effective approach: some retailers see the biggest progress when they treat returns as both an ecommerce issue and a product issue.
Essentially:
- If customers don’t trust fit, they’ll create a workaround.
- If you improve fit confidence, you reduce the need for that workaround.
When bracketing happens anyway, design the outcome you want
Even with a better fit experience, sizing issues won’t disappear - especially in apparel. So the next lever is what happens after the customer realises it isn’t right.
This is where exchange-first flows matter. At Reveni, we see exchanges as a key lever because they keep the customer moving toward the right product instead of ending the journey with a refund.
A rising number of brands are using Instant refunds and instant exchanges ****as a solution, an option customers increasingly expect from modern ecommerce experiences.
It’s not just about speed for speed’s sake. Faster resolution reduces friction - and friction is what turns a simple sizing issue into lost loyalty.
The takeaway
Bracketing isn’t a “bad customer” problem. It’s a signal that shoppers still don’t feel confident buying for fit online. So the most effective strategy is balanced:
- Reduce uncertainty upfront (so bracketing feels unnecessary)
- Make the recovery frictionless when the fit is wrong (so the customer exchanges instead of churning)
Returns don’t have to mean a loss, not when they’re designed to lead customers to the right outcome.