Start with merchant fit
Do not begin with product features. Begin with categories where size recovery is operationally feasible.
Article
Size mapping for Shopify apparel brands: what actually works.
Size mapping should reflect operational reality. If the garment, category, or merchant process does not support the mapping, the rule should not exist.
Map conservatively
The best rules are usually narrow, understandable, and easy for support teams to explain.
Protect source stock
Thresholds and share caps matter more than aggressive recovery targets.
Bad mapping logic
- Mapping every size to every adjacent size.
- Ignoring the actual garment category.
- Skipping operations review.
- Launching across the full catalog immediately.
Good mapping logic
- Use only categories where substitution is feasible.
- Start with clear, narrow source-to-target rules.
- Align with merchandising and operations teams.
- Review performance before expanding the rule set.