Gone are the days when plus size women had few options for finding that perfect little black dress or trendy outfits to flaunt their curves.  All thanks to the evolving definition of ‘beauty’ and the rising generation of exquisite, intelligent and bold women who embrace their curves!

“I’ve never felt like I’ve needed to change . . . I’ve always thought, ‘if you want someone different, pick somebody else.'” – Melissa McCarthy

To cater to the market of empowered plus size women, many brands and designers have begun to develop a wide variety of curvy clothing and other merchandise.  This is a much welcome change and it ensures plus size women get access to several choices when it comes to what they want to wear, just like every other woman.  With the advent of the digital era and large-scale adoption of online shopping, the timing could not have been any better.  Online shopping has opened the doors to a whole new world of affordable fashion for the plus size women.

Here are the top 9 advantages of online shopping for plus size women.

Great Choice and Variety

The biggest pain point while shopping for plus size women’s clothing is the disappointing variety of outfits and very limited styling options!  A retail store can only hold so many articles of clothing while a digital showroom can literally have hundreds of thousands of items to choose from.  This is where online shopping is making a huge difference in the lives of millions of plus size women!

Whether you’re looking for plus size dresses or women’s plus tops, it’s all available online!  Almost all brands that sell plus size women’s trendy clothing have opened their shops online by setting up their own websites, mobile apps, or, partnering up with popular online shopping portals.  Apart from having a great variety of colors, sizes, and styles, the best part about shopping is that you can order almost anything from wherever you are in the world.  In addition, online shopping sites maintain a huge stock of products to meet the demands of international buyers.  So while you might have to call dibs on that one perfect dress at a physical store, if they have it in your size and cut, you will rarely face such a situation online.  Even if a product you really want runs out of stock while shopping online, many online shopping sites will allow you to place an advance order for that product and make it available to you as soon as possible.  You can also add products to your ‘Wishlist’ and be notified once the item is again available online.  So keep calm and enjoy shopping online!

Easily Compare Prices and Products

The best part about online shopping is that you get to compare products and prices across online shopping sites before you make a purchasing decision.  If you’re looking for plus size swimwear for women, you can do your own research on what’s hot and what’s not across various online shopping sites and view them side by side on your laptop or mobile browser.  This way you get to know the cheapest price at which your most desired product is available and save your money.

Searching through a store can be a frustrating and time-consuming endeavor.  Things aren’t usually in the right place, or you have to sort through a couple of dozen items to find the size you want.  Online shopping is as easy as typing in your search, clicking on a product, choosing your size, and hitting the “Add to Cart” button.   Want to compare products from two different stores?  Just pull up two browser windows and look at them both at the same time.

Avoid the Lines

If you’re someone who hates going shopping because of the harrowing experience of having to run into crowds and waiting for your turn at the changing room, online shopping is for you.  No matter whether it’s you are on your lunch break or you want to do some late night browsing on your laptop, online shopping can be done anytime and anywhere.  This convenience is by far one of the biggest perks of the online shopping experience.  No need to worry about going through a crazy store shopping experience during the festive season and no need to worry about fighting through traffic or finding a parking spot.  Online shopping can save your time, money and effort.

Privacy

Have you ever felt shy about having a good look at things like adult toys, sexy lingerie, and products you want to keep on the down low?  If you would like to keep your shopping preferences and purchases extremely private, online shopping is a great option for you. You don’t have to go through the uncomfortable experience of being judged by prying eyes at shopping store anymore.  After all, what you shop for is your own business, isn’t it?

Easy Returns

Returns are probably the one things plus size women worry about the most.  Curvy figures some in so many different shapes and sizes that finding the perfect items can be a multi-step process.  Today it is more common than not to find stores that provide free returns with in-store credit so you can exchange your merchandise until you get something that fits perfectly.  Places like Nordstrom having amazing return policies.  Be sure to always investigate a store’s return policy before purchasing.

Online Reviews

In case you’re one of those skeptics who does not believe in the credibility of the products sold online, there’s great news for you.  Most popular online sites encourage shoppers to write down reviews of a particular product they’d recently purchased online.  Online reviews help prospective buyers get a real insight into the personal shopping experiences of other buyers with a particular product or retailer.  Just by reading reviews, you can take a call on whether you want to buy the product or skip the idea.  Amazon is one of the stores that has made customer review an integral part of their business model.  Items with 4 and 5-star reviews generally get a large majority of the business and sellers are constantly improving products and services to ensure they receive top-tier reviews.

One word of advice is that you really take the time to read the reviews, especially the negative ones.  Some of the smaller retailers have been known to try and game reviews.  However, this type of tactic is generally a short-term play that will usually tank a retailer in short order as customers are savvy to these types of tactics.  When in doubt, search Amazon for the same product if it is available and compare reviews from there.

Personal Stylists

One of the new trending items in the plus size clothing space is personal stylists.   These stylists communicate on a periodic basis (bi-monthly, monthly, quarterly, etc.) and discuss your design, comfort, and aesthetic preferences.  You receive a box of merchandise tailor-made for you.  You choose which items you keep and you only pay for those items.  If you don’t keep an item the company charges a nominal “styling fee” and provide you with a return label.  If you keep multiple items there are often discount incentives.  Stitch Fix has made a huge splash in the industry recently by providing personalized styling.  One personal stylist company that caters specifically to plus size women is Dia & Co.

Free or Reduced Shipping

According to the US Commerce Department, online spending accounted for 13% of the dollars spent in the US in 2017.  That was the most since the dot-com bubble burst and the beginning of the decade.  One of the leading contributing factors of the increase in online sales was Amazon and their free shipping model; spend $25+ on certain items and standard shipping is free or sign up for their Prime membership and get free 2-day shipping (sign up for a free 30 day trial of Amazon Prime here).  This simple change broke down one of the main barriers that online shopping has suffered from over the years.  Many retailers have followed suit and offer either significantly reduced shipping based on purchase amount, or they have removed the cost all-together.  Be sure to account for shipping charges in any purchase decisions that you make.

Find the Best Deals and Prices Online

Whether you are looking for awesome deals on plus size dresses or women’s curvy tops, you will almost always find the best ones online.  Sometimes products are sold online directly to their customers by the manufacturers which reduce overhead costs leading to better pricing.  We like to browse the sale and clearance sections on a regular basis as we tend to find some amazing steals. Bigandtalldeals is constantly looking for the best deals and coupons specific to plus size and big and tall people.   Save time and effort by checking back often or subscribing to our newsletter.

Apart from these top 9 reasons, online shopping has a lot to offer. While we still don’t see any reason visiting stores and trying things on, if you aren’t in a real rush you can save a ton of time and money by shopping online.  The best part about that is the best coupons and deals on plus size products are just a click away!