"Your Sizes Run Small": Fixing a Common Nigerian Customer Complaint

When customers keep telling you "your sizes run small," the fix is usually in your size chart, your pattern ease or your fit notes, not in the customer. Collect the complaints, compare them with your chart and garments, and correct the cause, then tell customers clearly what changed.

This guide gives you a step-by-step way to find out why sizes feel small and what to change. It is part of our series on sizing and try-on for African fashion brands, written for brands in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Aba.

Why do customers say sizes run small?

"Runs small" is a feeling, not a measurement. It can come from several different causes:

• Your chart doesn't match your garments. The chart says a size fits a 38-inch bust, but the sample only fits 36.
• Your patterns have too little ease. Ease is the extra room above body size. Too little makes everything feel tight.
• Your labels mean something else to shoppers. A shopper who wears "UK 12" elsewhere picks your 12 and finds it tight.
• One measurement is missing. Your chart lists bust and waist, but the garment pulls at the hips or upper arms.
• The fabric has no stretch. A shopper used to stretch Ankara blends finds a rigid brocade tight.
• Shoppers guess their size. Without measuring, many people choose the size they "usually" wear.

Each cause needs a different fix. That is why you need evidence first.

How do you collect useful feedback from customers?

Most complaints arrive on WhatsApp or Instagram as a short "it's too small." Turn that into data you can use.

1. Ask three questions. Which item and size? Where is it tight? What are your bust, waist and hip measurements?
2. Log every answer. Use a simple spreadsheet with columns for product, size, tight area and measurements.
3. Ask for a photo if the customer is comfortable. A photo of the garment on, from the front and side, shows where it pulls.
4. Track exchanges too. Every size-up exchange is a "runs small" signal.

After a few weeks, patterns show up. If most complaints name the hips on one gown, you have found your problem.

How do you check your chart against your garments?

Take a sample of each size from stock and measure it flat. Double the flat bust, waist and hip to get the full measurement.

Check	What to compare	What it tells you
Garment bust vs chart bust	Finished garment bust minus body bust in the chart	How much ease you really have
Same check for waist and hip	As above	Whether one area is tighter than the others
Size to size steps	The gap between each size in the garment	Whether your grading is even
Sample vs production	A sample piece vs a recent production piece	Whether your tailors cut consistently

If production pieces are smaller than the sample, the fix is in the workshop, not the chart. Our guide to why bust, waist and hip ratios matter explains why one size label can't fit every body shape.

What should you fix first?

Fix in this order, from cheapest to most work:

1. Update the chart. If your garments are smaller than your chart says, change the chart numbers to match the real garments. This takes an afternoon.
2. Add the missing column. If complaints mention the hips, stomach or upper arms, add that measurement.
3. Write clearer fit notes. "Fitted at the waist, no stretch, size up if between sizes" prevents many complaints.
4. Add ease to the pattern. If the garment is too tight for its style, ask your pattern cutter to adjust it for the next production run.
5. Retrain the workshop. If production pieces vary, check cutting and seam allowances with your tailors.

For menswear, a missing stomach column is the most common cause. Our men's native wear size chart template includes it.

How do you tell customers sizes have changed?

Once you fix the chart or the pattern, say so. Shoppers who were burned before need a reason to trust you again.

• Add a short line on affected product pages: "We updated this size chart. Please check your measurements."
• Post on Instagram and WhatsApp status that you've improved your fit.
• Message customers who exchanged before and invite them back.
• Keep old and new stock separate so you don't mix two different fits.

How do you stop the complaint coming back?

Make measuring easier than guessing. The fewer customers who pick their "usual" size, the fewer complaints you get.

Put a "how to measure" guide right next to the size selector. Keep tracking feedback every month. Fit complaints are also a big part of returns and exchanges in fashion generally, as our guide to where fit-related returns come from explains.

ZeDaq.ai can help shoppers avoid guessing. The "Find my size" scan uses one photo and the shopper's height, then matches their measurements to the size chart you enter in your dashboard, sizing up to the largest relevant measurement.

FAQs

Should I just tell customers to size up?

Only as a short-term fix. If most people need to size up, your chart or pattern needs updating.

How many complaints mean there is a real problem?

There is no fixed number. Look for repeats on the same product, size or body area, then measure the garments.

Can I change my size labels instead?

You can, but changing the chart and fit notes is usually clearer. If you relabel, tell customers so they don't order the wrong size.

What if only diaspora customers complain?

They may be comparing your sizes with UK or US labels. Add a closest UK or US size column as a guide, based on your own fittings.