Nowadays, it’s hard to escape online fashion retailers. Advertising for these websites is everywhere, offering fashionable pieces of clothing at extremely competitive prices. Long gone are the days of going to stores and waiting in line to try clothes on. Online retailers have made it easier for consumers to buy clothes without having to leave their house.
Of course, some people are suspicious when it comes to e-commerce stores. Sometimes, photos can be misleading, and pieces can arrive that either look completely different from the photo or don’t fit. There are definitely some risks to online shopping, and consumers need to be aware of these.
Boohoo is one of the most popular online retailers and the Boohoo group owns several other online clothing businesses such as PrettyLittleThing, Miss Pap, and Nasty Gal. All of these retailers create fast-fashion pieces that follow current trends. The popularity of Boohoo and its subsidiaries is based on their ability to produce new items for young men and women, and ensure that there is always something new on their sites.
Sounds too good to be true, right? For some, it seems so. For this reason, it’s important to check out reviews of Boohoo before shopping with them to make sure they are legitimate. We’ve done the leg work and research for our own Boohoo review in order to find out all there is to know about this famous retailer. Read on to learn more about the company and whether you can trust them or not.
What is Boohoo.com?
Boohoo is an online fashion retailer that was launched in 2006 in Manchester, UK, by Mahmud Kamani. It’s famous for its low-priced Boohoo coats, dresses, jackets, and jeans, and caters to both men and women. The target demographic for the retailer is teenagers up to adults in their late 30s, and the brand creates pieces that are popular with a wide audience.
The brand has had global success, which has led to it become a business with sales reaching over 1 billion dollars. The Boohoo USA website gets heavy traffic every day and the company has expanded into the Boohoo group and owns a long list of fashion retailers.
In August 2020, despite the difficulties that came with the Covid-19 crisis, profit before tax for the group reportedly rose 51% in the size months beforehand. That’s an impressive feat and demonstrates the global dominance that the group has when it comes to online fashion.
Boohoo has a strong presence on social media, where most of its advertising lays. It’s hard to scroll through Instagram without seeing pictures of models donning Boohoo outfits. The company has also collaborated with well-known beauty brands so that customers can buy products from these companies at Boohoo.com. The retailer has cleverly covered all of the major areas of fashion and beauty so that its website is the go-to place for all things related to these areas.
Considering that the company started with a team of 3 and has grown into a billion-dollar brand, it is impressive, to say the least.
Is Boohoo Legit?
Online companies face a lot more scrutiny than retail stores. This is because there are many scammers out there that sell faulty items, or clothing that doesn’t match the description or photo online. Unfortunately, the presence of even just one website like this can have a knock-on effect on all other sites.
The Boohoo Group is a public, registered company. This means that information about their sales and revenue is easy to find online and ascertains the business’s legitimacy.
The company employs around 5000 workers, and over half of its stock is manufactured in the UK. Due to the brand being a fast-fashion label, many people wonder, “is Boohoo a Chinese company?” It most definitely isn’t! Boohoo is a British business through and through, with its head offices still located in Manchester where it all began.
The business began with the desire to bring the newest trends to customers’ doors within a few weeks, and this mission still rings true today. The Boohoo group not only owns Boohoo.com, but also boohooman.com, PrettyLittleThing, Nasty Gal, MissPap, Karen Millen, and Coast.
With orders on the up for all of the group’s subsidiary companies, as well as Boohoo.com, it looks like there is no slowing down for this fashion powerhouse.
Is Boohoo an Ethical Company?
Recently, Boohoo made the headlines but for all the wrong reasons. In July 2020, it was revealed that many of the clothes made for the retailer, and some of its other brands, were being manufactured in a UK factory where workers faced dire conditions.
Consumers were shocked to find out that factories making the clothes for the billion-dollar company were paying workers less than the minimum salary. As well as this, the factories were supposedly full of health and safety hazards, and workers weren’t provided with protective clothing or face masks.
The company responded and stated that it had been unaware of the standards. It put the blame on factory owners and not themselves. However, the damage had already been done and the shocking revelations saw Boohoo’s stock value drop significantly. The brand is now saying that they are committed to working to deliver a high ethical standard and would resolve the manufacturing issue.
Despite the controversy surrounding the factories where the company’s clothing is made, Boohoo has been very vocal about supporting communities around the world and giving back. They’ve supported Gay Pride events and donated money towards tackling the Australian bushfires and to numerous Black Lives Matter charities.
When it comes to sustainability, the company has stated on its website that they are committed to creating clear policies regarding waste and the company’s environmental footprint. However, changes from the brand in these two areas are yet to be seen.
Do Celebrities Endorse Boohoo?
When it comes to marketing, nothing helps a company more than a big celebrity endorsement. Paid marketing campaigns featuring stars are nothing new, but with the rise of social media, it has become easier for retailers like Boohoo to work with well-known public figures.
The Boohoo group in itself has worked with a numerous amount of famous people, from uber celebs like the Kardashians to smaller influencers in targeted countries. Boohoo has an enormous budget for marketing and a lot of this goes towards paid advertisements on social media platforms like Instagram.
Another way in which Boohoo increases its sales is by collaborating with stars on collections. The retailer has created collections with Jennifer Lopez, plus-size model Ashley Graham, and most recently has worked with Nigerian superstar, Burna Boy, on a collection for Boohooman.com.
Many stars are pictured wearing Boohoo clothing online. More often than not, Boohoo has gifted the clothing or has paid the stars to pose in their outfits. However, this marketing ploy really works, since celebrities essentially drive fashion trends, and decide what is hot or not.
Thanks to the Boohoo’s group’s impressive list of businesses, the company has been able to work with many celebrities who have come out to endorse the retailer. Whether or not these endorsements are because famous stars truly love Boohoo clothing, or simply because they get something in return, is up for discussion. However, it cannot be denied that Boohoo has put itself firmly at the forefront of fast fashion due to its many collaborations with incredibly famous people.
Is The Boohoo App And Website Easy To Use?
Buying items online is great, so long as the website you’re using functions well. Boohoo.com is relatively easy to use. Customers can easily switch between women’s and menswear, and clothing is set out in clear sections.
As well as this, the site organizes clothing by collection or size, so that customers can easily access everything that is best suited to them with the click of a button.
In 2014, Boohoo launched their app. With apps becoming more and more prevalent, it is important for every business to have one. When the app first launched, it had a few glitches and technical errors which made it difficult for customers to use. However, the app has since been revamped and is now more customer friendly.
The app provides a good user experience and allows customers to still search by collection or clothing item. Of course, since the screen is smaller, you can’t see as many clothing items at once as you do on the site. However, you can view items in different colors, and check out without issues.
The app has proven to be popular amongst shoppers and has a high rating although the iOS version has been downloaded far more than the Android one. Overall it seems that customers are taking to the app quite well, based on the generally positive app store reviews.
Are Boohoo Clothes Good Quality?
When customers buy clothing items, they want to ensure that what they’re getting is stylish but that also made well and of high-quality material. Many Boohoo reviews from customers vary, with some praising the quality clothing and others finding it less than satisfactory.
Boohoo is most famous for its coats, jackets, dresses, and tops with these items being the bestsellers on their website. Almost all their tops, skirts, and jackets are made from polyester. This is a cheap material to produce, which is why Boohoo can retail their clothing for such low prices. The retailer’s knitwear makes use of manmade acrylic and Boohoo shoes are made with synthetic materials.
Polyester and acrylic are common in clothing, especially in fast fashion. Polyester is strong but can absorb smell quite easily, while acrylic is soft but bad for the environment. The fact that Boohoo uses these materials in its pieces doesn’t mean they are low quality, but these materials aren’t the best for long-term pieces that will last a lifetime. By using these materials in clothing, Boohoo is able to keep production costs down.
Many customer reviews talk about the quality of the clothing. On trustworthy review sites like Trustpilot and Sitejabber, there are mixed reviews. While on Trustpilot, the retailer has a 4.4 out of 5star rating, on Sitejabber it only has 1.9 out of 5 stars.
There is a lot of criticism about the quality of clothes on Sitejabber with customers describing the clothing as being of “poor quality” and made of “cheap material”. However, many of the reviews on Trustpilot are positive, which indicates that overall customers are satisfied with the quality of the clothing.
Overall, it seems that with Boohoo, you get what you pay for. Boohoo clothing is well known for being extremely affordable, but this means that often the materials are less luxurious and product quality is not as high. This definitely doesn’t mean that they are not wearable. However, it means that you can’t expect clothing from this brand to last for an extremely long time. Each item will have a limit to the number of times it can be worn and washed before it starts to deteriorate in terms of quality.
Are Boohoo Items True To Size?
Although many people dislike trying on clothes in a fashion store, due to the long lines that appear outside of changing rooms, it can be helpful when deciding whether to buy something. It tells you how comfortable the material is, whether the pattern or color looks good against your skin tone, and most importantly, whether the item fits you or not!
Many reviews of Boohoo lament that items can arrive and then not fit properly. Customers often complain that Boohoo items are too small, and don’t fit properly around their hips and stomach. It’s true that the retailer is known for creating tight, body-skimming pieces. However, when bought in the best size, anyone can wear these pieces.
To fix the issue of sizing, Boohoo allows shoppers to use the fit finder sizing guide on their website. This size advisor helps customers to work out what will be the best size for them. To use this nifty tool, on the site, there is a “what’s my size?” option. By clicking this, you can input your height, weight, belly shape, hip shape, bust size, and age. Then, the recommended size will appear for you.
For more detailed information, customers can also refer to Boohoo’s size guide, which gives information on how the company sizes their pieces. This allows shoppers to check how they measure up to each size before purchase.
As well as providing a lot of information on sizing, Boohoo also has different “fit” collections. For women, these are plus size, maternity, tall, and petite. Often, fashion stores and designers are known to only cater to the smallest of women. However, with Boohoo, girls up to a size 24 can enjoy stylish fashion pieces, and no longer have to feel left out of the world of fashion. All shapes and sizes are catered for at Boohoo, and the company is an advocate for body positivity, regardless of shape and size.
We can’t talk about sizing without mentioning Boohooman. Although the brand is often viewed as just for females, the company also caters to men, creating incredible clothes for fashion-forward males. Men can buy everything, from activewear, tops, and shoes, to trousers and accessories.
For men, the size guide is slightly different and contains S, M, L, and XL. For larger guys, there is the Big & Tall fit, which caters to bigger boned men. There are fashionable pieces available for men in this range, from XXL up to size XXXXL. Customer reviews of menswear are less common, but there are a few, and many are pleased with the sizes for the men’s clothing.
So, it seems as though Boohoo runs true to size. However, it’s very useful to take a look at their size guide before buying. You should also remember that for women, some of the pieces are designed to be very fitted, so it’s important to buy a size up on figure-hugging dresses and tight tops if you like your clothing to be loose.
How Long Does It Take For Boohoo To Deliver?
Internet shopping is amazing for many reasons, but there is one major downside, and that is waiting for shipping. Boohoo started out as a UK retailer and only shipped to locations within the UK, but over the years has expanded its delivery services. Now, the fashion giant is shipping out packages across the world, daily.
For all customers, regardless of what country you live in, there are delivery charges. For UK clients, standard delivery can take anywhere from 3 days to 5 days, or you can pay slightly more for next day delivery. For the USA, standard delivery can take up to 10 days, and it costs $15 to get USA express shipping, which guarantees your package will arrive within 5 days. So, if you’re looking for a last-minute dress or accessories for a party taking place the next day, Boohoo isn’t the website to use.
Boohoo uses different courier services which can often have an effect on the delivery time. Many customer reviews that are full of complaints refer to delivery issues being a problem. Some customers have claimed that it has taken more than 3 weeks for a parcel to arrive, with others stating that they’ve had to wait for a month for their packages.
The company aims to have transparency about issues with its delivery service and resolves to solve any problems that occur with the delivery of purchases. Unfortunately, shipping issues can occur with any internet company, and laying blame is hard to do since it could be down to a number of factors. Sometimes there are issues with the Post Office or with FedEx, depending on how your package is making its way to you.
Luckily, Boohoo provides a tracking number for all of its items, so that when something is sent out, both the customer and the company can keep an eye on its whereabouts.
As well as this, Boohoo has a dedicated customer service team that deal with delivery issues. Should items arrive late or get lost, customers are able to talk to representatives via Whatsapp in order to get quick resolutions to their issues.
Are Customers Satisfied With Boohoo?
When providing a good, unbiased review of a brand or product, like our Boohoo review, it’s important to look at customer reviews. Customers are the most important part of any business, as, without them, companies can sink.
Boohoo reviews vary, depending on the review site. On Better Business Bureau (BBB), Boohoo has a 1-star rating in terms of customer reviews and an F rating from the BBB. As mentioned earlier, the website also has an extremely low rating on Sitejabber, with not even an overall 2-star review rating. However, less than 1000 consumers have taken the time to leave a review on the brand on Sitejabber. That’s a small percentage of customers, so perhaps doesn’t reflect the overall customer experience.
To get a better idea of how customers feel, and to see a variety of positive and negative reviews, it’s worth looking at the reviews on Trustpilot. These are a lot more positive than on Sitejabber, with around 160,000 customers taking the time to leave generally complimentary reviews of 5 stars. Most customers also say that they would recommend the brand to other people. Therefore, it seems that overall customers are generally satisfied with Boohoo.
Customer Experience
The majority of reviews center on customer experience. Many people talk of issues with deliveries or getting extra credit card charges that they haven’t approved. Usually, experiences like these with a company would probably cause customers to leave a negative review. However, Boohoo has a very attentive customer service team.
Customers can get in touch with a Boohoo representative in a number of ways, either by phone, email or even through Whatsapp. The way in which customer service is handled has been praised by consumers, who have called it “excellent” and have referred to customer service representatives as “friendly” and “polite”.
Return Policy
Not only does Boohoo ensure that customer service standards are always high, but the company also has a return policy for dissatisfied consumers. If you receive your purchase but it doesn’t fit properly, is damaged, or is not at all what you expected, you can return it. The return policy lasts for 28 days for customers from the USA, Canada, Australia, And New Zealand, and 14 days for all other countries.
When returning an item to Boohoo, the process is fairly simple. Customers need to print off a return label and fill it in, explaining the reasons for returning. It’s important to attach this to the parcel. Return shipping will cost an extra $4 for customers from the USA. For some customers, this is a downside since many other online stores offer free returns.
Once sent back, each refund is usually processed within 2 days, but it can take longer. Several negative customer reviews of Boohoo have spoken about the length of time it has taken for the money to be returned to their account. However, Boohoo claims that with some parcels it can take upwards of 2 weeks for them to get shipped back. For this reason, refunds can be a little slower to appear in the bank account for some customers, since it depends entirely on your location.
Overall Customer Satisfaction
It seems that on the whole, shoppers are happy with the quality of Boohoo products, its returns process, and its customer service. Although it seems that there can be delays with deliveries and refunds, overall the service is good and most packages arrive in a timely manner.
As well as this, Boohoo caters to all sizes and genders. They release new collections constantly, and there is something for everyone with regard to style. Although the pieces are not made from the highest quality material, their price reflects the quality and is extremely affordable. For this reason, customers are on average, pleased with the retailer, and enjoy shopping there.
Boohoo Review: Our Final Thoughts
It’s hard to not be impressed with Boohoo. The retailer started out small and has grown into a fashion powerhouse, that has achieved international success. The success is down to strategic marketing and providing customers with what they want, which is affordable and trendy clothing.
When it comes to quality, Boohoo isn’t at the same level as high-fashion designers. However, if you aren’t bothered about material quality and more about staying on trend, then this is a good company to buy from. We believe that for customers, Boohoo provides an overall positive customer experience.
If there is one thing that needs attention, it’s the transparency with which Boohoo speaks about their manufacturing process. The brand claims to want to work with factories that treat their employees well and wants to make a move to more sustainable materials. However, they need to show consumers that they are taking steps towards doing this.