Bracketing Is Not Always Bad: What Footwear Teams Should Actually Measure
Two pairs ordered. One pair kept. That sounds like an expensive footwear transaction, but the business case is not quite that simple. Shoppers sometimes order multiple sizes because they are uncertain about fit. This behavior, often called bracketing, can increase returns and handling costs. It may also help a hesitant shopper buy rather than abandon the purchase.
For a footwear ecommerce team, the right question is not “How do we eliminate bracketing?” It is “What happens to retained revenue and contribution margin after the entire order journey?”
Gross order value is not retained value
Consider a hypothetical customer ordering two pairs at $120 each and returning one. Gross order value is $240, but retained merchandise revenue is $120 before refunds, discounts and other adjustments. The business may also bear outbound shipping, return transport, inspection, repackaging and markdown costs. Those costs vary by retailer and return route.
Yet the counterfactual matters. If the customer would not have ordered anything without the ability to compare sizes at home, restricting that behavior could reduce conversion. A responsible analysis considers both sides.
Five measures worth tracking
Kept units and retained net revenue: measure orders after the relevant return window, not only at checkout.
Return and exchange incidence: segment by model, size, reason and shopper cohort where data quality allows.
Reverse-logistics cost: include handling, transport, restocking and any inventory loss.
Incremental conversion: compare eligible shoppers with a credible control or comparison group.
Contribution margin: assess the combined effect of kept sales, fulfillment and return costs.
Test the role of better fit information
A product-specific size recommendation may reduce some uncertainty before checkout. That is a hypothesis to test, not a guaranteed return-reduction result. Retailers should define eligibility, stock availability, consent and attribution before launching a fit pilot. Compare like-for-like products and customers, and account for promotions, seasonality and assortment changes.
PerfittSize focuses on helping shoppers choose a size for a specific footwear product. A commercial evaluation can connect recommendation interactions with downstream order and return outcomes when the retailer's systems and permissions support that analysis.
Build the decision around retained value
Do not label every multi-size order as a failure. Do not treat gross basket size as proof of success either. Track what customers keep, what it costs to serve the order, and whether better information changes the outcome.
Illustrative calculation: Contribution from a test cohort = retained net revenue − cost of goods − fulfillment and reverse-logistics costs − attributable service costs. Use your own data; the example above is not a Perfitt customer result.
Further reading: NRF 2025 US retail returns context (all retail, not footwear-specific) and operations research on bracketing.