How to shop at ASOS.COM

Asos is my favorite website to shop online and I know I am not the only one. No matter how many new shops I discover, I seem to never trust them or fall in love more than Asos. It could be their marketing strategies or the huge amount of items they carry, but it always does the trick to me and leaves me sleepless if I check it out in the evening. I can't say I am an expert at shopping after one year, but I have learned many things for sure and most of them I learned the hard way, wasting money, time and effort. To avoid disappointment, here are my tips, in case you are interested :

1. First of all measure yourself to find your size in the size chart available on the website. It might seem so obvious, but I will shamefully admit that my first pair of jeans were a size UK26 (5 sizes up) because I was too smart and lazy to measure up. I had to learn my first lesson the very hard way.

2. If it is your first time in the website, I warn you that you will spend so much time browsing everything. Go through all the items during several visits (not at once) and then you can check every day for two minutes to see what's new, or once a week for 5 minutes.

3. Consider the models' height (it is written in the description section, usually varying from 1.75 to 1.80). I am way shorter and now I know a skirt or dress will run longer on me. This means I can buy tunics or oversize tops and wear them as a dress with leggings.

4. Don't be afraid to go down a size in items that usually run larger, like knitted dresses, jumpers and cardigans. Trust your guts and what you see, combining with past experience.

5. Don't fall for a cute fabric if the cut is odd. It took me 3 months to figure out how to wear that swing dress deeply cut on the back with gorgeous pink flowers.

6. Customer's service is great. They reply to your email after a workday and do their best to please you. Don't hesitate to ask questions.

7. It hardly ever happens for your parcel to get lost on its way to you. It happened to me once, but the refund was quick and easy.

8. Unlike other sites, they remove everything that is out of stock immediately at Asos. It will rarely happen to put something in the basket, check out and then receive the delivery email letting you know something is missing in the order. However, if it happens, you will get the money back into your card.

9. Don't be lazy to return items that didn't meet your expectations (like me). If you want another size, be fast to grab the new size before it is gone and then post the old item for return. The directions are in every parcel you receive, or you can print it from the website, according every order.

10. Shoe sizing is a bit difficult to master. I don't have an exact number, running between 4-5, depending on shape. I found it easier with Asos collections, always getting a 5, but with other brands I struggle a lot and hesitate to order, unless I have previously bought. But if you have easy access to returns, just order 2 sizes and return the one that doesn't fit.

11. Buying a pair of trousers that will require tailoring is normal, but buying a dress two or three sizes bigger is not worth the money and time to fix it.

12. Get the most out of all collections, petite, curve, longer length, maternity. I explore all the options to find the right item in the right size.

13. Be familiar with the models. Normally there are a couple of them modeling for Asos and usually the same model features one brand's clothes. If something makes a model look fat in the lower part of the body, it will likely make you look fat too, so be smart.

14. Even when I put items in the shopping bag, I wait until the next morning to check out. This helps to clarify my mind and decide if you really really need and love everything. For me it helps to remove at least one item before check out and it saves me money.

15. Before buying something, think of all the options you already have and how you can match it. If you buy often, try to buy conceptually. Create outfits and themes, know how you want to look like exactly, so you don't get lost in the ocean of thousands of pretty items. Stick to a palette per season for example and make several outfits out of a few pieces.

16. They do a great job at discounts and promotions. From time to time they have 20 % up to 80 % off different things. Subsribe to their newsletter to be sure not to miss anything.

17. Everyone likes the two big seasonal sales that last several days, but my favorite are the express offers that last a day or two. If you act quickly and wisely, you can get gems for a low price. It helps if I have a few money on my credit card all the time and not empty it on a single shopping spree.

18. Unfortunately there is no option to review the items and you have no basis except your experience and judgement. If something keeps showing up from time to time it means people are returning it and chances are there is a problem with it. Most common problems could be poor fit (slouchy, big), no scale (same length on small and big sizes making it too short for the latest) or bad quality (different than it looks like, very thin or modest material).

19. Colors don' vary dramatically from screen to reality, but textures do, so read the description and the materials carefully, zooming in each picture to see carefully. Also move the screen's angle of your laptop or change your position in front of the desktop. It helps to understand the texture with light or dark colors.

20. Avoid weak materials like polyethirane. They smell terrible and the price is not worth it. I got a bag once and it smelled horrible. I could only wear it after leaving it outside for 3 days.

21. If you have bought a skirt and a dress, be sure to check out their length in cm in the description section. It is an indication or size 8, but always remember it. If the dress you have runs short, avoid length like that or shorter in the future. I always know where a 85 long dress in size 8 hits on me in my size. Even if a skirt seems like could run long enough on me, if I read 37 cm I run away immediately.

22. There is a new feature lately, the "Shop the look" which shows you complementary items shown on the model beside the selling item. I find it more marketing wise than shopping helpful and I usually don't pay attention to it, but I have seen that it helps men create outfits and pair items as a basis for matching.

23. What is new for the season won't likely go on sale soon, but will run out of stock quickly. They might restock or not, depending on the material and nature of the dress. Don't expect a bejeweled dress with feathers to last until after New Year's sales. I suggest buying a new dress or two at full price every season, depending on your budget and play with what you have or discounted pieces and accessories.

24. Ignore seasons. Next winter comes too quick and no matter how much you want to get new dresses for spring, it is wise to invest in good quality pieces on sale for next fall/winter. This is the way my mother has taught me to shop in the real world and I try to do my best not to ignore it online, where the chances are more frequent.

25. At the same level, try to be fast forward. Always have a look at the coming season's trends. You could grab something on sale in November and wear if happily next Spring.

26. Don't be discouraged if something gets out of stock before you manage to buy it. Save it for later and now watch the wishlist frequently, refreshing the page as much as you can. Chances are someone might leave your favorite item out of their shopping basket when they check out. Stock lasts for 60 minutes, so be patient and fight over your favorite things :)

27. The Wishlist option is my favorite. Now they have extended the period from 30 days to 60 days. Once you put everything you like the first few times you visit the website, you can add items daily/weekly, anytime you check out something new you like. Also have a look at the whole basket form time to time, to notice returned stuff, better prices or restocks. What I do to keep the number of items in the basket sane (for me that is 400-500) is to go through it every once in a while and remove anything that I don't really like, anything that is not worth it even if it goes 80 % on sale or something I will get bored easily with.

All pictures from my Asos wishlist.

28. Use the site for inspiration, not only for impulsive shopping. Try out new looks, or invent new ways to wear something you have. Look books and features are a great help.

29. Express shipping for my country costs 14 euros and delivers in 5-7 days. The faster I got was 3 days once. They bring it to your doorstep. There is also the free delivery that brings your parcel for 7-10 days usually. If your postal office delivers the orders to your home, don't bother with express, unless you have an event coming in a few days and you want to be sure you have all you need. I know that in Italy the courier brings the parcel to you even with free shipping, but in Albania it doesn't happen, at least as far as I know, you have to collect it yourself at the post office.

30. No matter how strong and indifferent you think you are, you will going to lose time, money and night's sleep like you haven't even imagined.

Bonus tip: If you are in doubt, leave it. Full stop! I tried hard to manage this.

Also, check out the easiest tip to manage yourself while online shopping. 

Let me know if you find any of these helpful. I'd love to hear about your own advice and experiences on shopping at Asos or any other online store.

| Love, Lisa |