Shopping for bras online. My little experiment was to ensure the best policies and customer experience for all Sunbird Lingerie customers. So, this is the story of my shopping experience.

Putting myself in my customers’ shoes!

To truly understand how it feels to shop for bras online, I need to be a customer myself.

So, I found three separate online bra shops. I just happen to know my bra size! Well, I thought I did! More to come on that topic.

The bra shops are all well-known brands that have been around for a very long time.

I decided on the bras I wanted to order. Three different shapes and three different colours.

Now I’m going to break down the three orders from my shopping experience into #A, #B and #C

Bra #A

Online ordering was easy. The shopping cart was user-friendly. Postage was added at the end.

The package arrived and I was excited! I haven’t ordered a bra for years. It was something quite different for me.

Disappointment set in when I opened my parcel. The bra had been folded and put into the Austalia Post bag with no tissue paper or wrapping around it. Just the bra. It didn’t feel very special at that point.

The colour was close to what I was expecting. It did feel a bit flimsy to me, but I am used to my bras which are not flimsy. That is one difference I had forgotten about. I use the best quality components in all of my lingerie. Large companies have to make as much profit as possible so every cent counts. And they are selling mega amounts, so any additional cost adds up to lots of dollars. If they can save on any component, they will as that is their business model. My business model is different so it’s a bit unfair to compare. But it was the experience of putting myself in customers’ shoes.

Next test- trying it on.

Being careful to leave all the tags on, I tried #A on.

That’s when I checked the returns policy.

Unfortunately, the band was way too big and rode up at the back. The underwires were so wide, they were poking into my armpits. The cups nearly fitted, but because the underwires were not my size, they pulled the cup so it couldn’t give shape and support.

Bitter disappointment.

I emailed this brand to ask for help. I was given the returns address and the returns policy.

No assistance in finding a bra that might fit.

This produced fear for my next two bras, yet to arrive.

Bra #B

Again the ordering and checkout were seamless. Postage was added to my order.

This bra arrived in the post.

It was wrapped in tissue paper inside a post-pack.

That’s a better start.

The bra looked considerably different to the photo online. The colour was a lot more beige than the photo looked to me. I do not make beige underwear for a reason. I intensely dislike beige!

Not a great start.

This bra was slightly more successful when I tried it on, but still too big. The band was slightly big. It felt loose in sections. It was the way it was shaped. Again, I am used to my custom bras which I put a lot more shaping in for a better fit. And again, an unfair comparison as this bra is half the price of mine. The cup was slightly big, which even slightly big just doesn’t work.

It was a good shape and had very nice shape bra straps. Loved that part.

I emailed the shop for assistance. It’s been a couple of days and I haven’t had a reply. That”s okay. People do get busy and there were a lot of sicknesses around at the time, sadly.

Bra #C

So, is this the lucky last bra? Nearly.

Ordering online was again super easy. Free shipping, at last!

When the package arrived the bra was wrapped in tissue paper inside a post-pack.

The colour was a little bit paler than I expected but pretty good.

It felt flimsy to me. Not a fair comparison again. I am just not used to handling flimsy bras. Even my sheer bras feel not as flimsy.

I was full of hope when I tried this one on.

It”s so close. If I had never worn custom bras, I would have considered this one a good fit. The shape is supportive and gives good forward projection. That’s what a bra is supposed to do!

I’m going to wear this one to test its durability and ongoing comfort.

What I’ve learnt from being the customer.

I have learnt a lot from my shopping experience.

I felt anticipation, disappointment and a little bit of fear!

A good returns policy is so important when shopping online. That’s why I offer a 100% love-it guarantee. I want customers who just can’t wait to see the next fabrics or collections. The fit, comfort and quality are the highest priorities for me. I know I use the best quality in everything. But it all starts with the fit. The extra questions I ask and the extra fitting I do makes such a difference. This experience was slightly unfair as the bras I ordered were around half the price of my bras. I was using this as a test to come up with problems or concerns that may exist, so I can overcome these for my customers.

The packaging didn’t make the bras feel very special. They felt a bit uncared for.

The fit was not surprising. It is so difficult to figure out sizing across brands. I used each brand’s bra calculator and came up with such different sizing I decided to stick with what I knew my size was. But that’s in true to size. The cups can’t do their job if the band and/or the underwires don’t fit like a glove! The cups don’t stand a chance.

Probably the biggest point I got from this is to be contactable if something goes wrong. Most people want a good outcome. Not always a refund, but that needs to be an available option if wanted.

So, that was my shopping experience.

Happy shopping xx