Loyal Zara shoppers love the brand for their trendy, yet inexpensive fashion offerings. So we did a little research to find out what other stores like Zara are out there — and which of those competitors might actually outshine them in a few key areas.
We compared stores similar to Zara — including H&M, Forever 21, SheIn, and Asos — to find out which fashion retailer offers the best perks. Since all the stores are similar in price points and product quality, we wanted to do a deeper dive to find out which stores like Zara have the best return policies, shipping rates, and ways to get additional discounts. Start with the cheat sheet below, then take a deep dive with us into the best stores like Zara.
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Your Cheat Sheet: How These Stores Like Zara Stack Up
- Cheaper online returns — Asos, H&M, and SheIn
- Lower free shipping minimum (and cheaper shipping fee) — SheIn
- Potentially faster shipping — Forever 21
- Better loyalty program — H&M
- Bigger student discount — Forever 21
- Lower dress prices — Asos, Forever 21, H&M, and SheIn
1. You get free online returns with Asos, H&M, and SheIn; Zara charges a $3.95 return shipping fee.
If you ever need to return something you bought from Zara by mail, you’ll pay a $3.95 return shipping fee, unless you take your return back to an actual Zara store.
When I compared the return policies of a bunch of stores like Zara, I found a few competitors who offer a better deal on their return shipping fees. Check it out:
- H&M: 30 days to return items; free returns by mail for H&M loyalty members ($5.99 for non-members)
- SheIn: 35 days from the purchase date; first return free, but subsequent returns have a $7.99 fee
- Asos: 28 days to return items; free returns
- Forever 21: 30 days to return items; $5.99 for returns by mail; free in-store returns
Related: We found a bunch of stores who offer free return shipping.
2. Zara has a $50 minimum for free shipping, but you’ll get free shipping on your first order from SheIn.
Zara will always let you ship purchases to a store for free pickup. But if you don’t live near a Zara store, you’re looking at a $5.95 shipping fee unless you hit their $50 minimum threshold for free shipping.
Of all the stores like Zara I researched, I found that SheIn actually had cheaper shipping fees. If you’ve never made a purchase from SheIn before, your first order will ship free, regardless of your order total. After that, you’ll pay a $3.99 shipping fee for any order that doesn’t meet their $29.99 minimum threshold.
Both Asos and Forever 21 have the same $50 free shipping threshold as Zara, and their shipping fee is actually a little higher. Check it out:
- SheIn: Orders of $29.99+ get free shipping (below that the fee is $3.99)
- Forever 21: Orders of $50+ get free shipping (below that the fee is $6.95)
- Asos: Orders of $50+ get free shipping (below that the fee is $7 – $10)
- H&M: Orders of $60+ get free shipping (below that the fee is $5.99)
Related: Thinking about shopping from SheIn? Here’s what to know about whether or not SheIn is legit.
3. Zara packages will arrive in 2 – 4 business days — which is shorter than their competitors’ shipping times.
Sometimes waiting for your new clothes can be the hardest part of online shopping! If you’re looking for an outfit for an upcoming event, Zara offers the fastest turnaround time, with most standard shipments arriving in only 2 – 4 business days.
For other stores like Zara, you may wait up to seven business days to get your order. Here’s how other stores like Zara compare on their shipping timelines:
- Forever 21: 1 – 7 business days
- H&M: 3 – 5 business days
- Asos: 4 – 7 business days
- SheIn: 11 – 14 days
4. H&M has the best loyalty program out of all the ‘fast-fashion’ stores.
H&M’s membership program is the best out of all these similar stores (but also, they’re the only membership program out of these stores). Zara, Forever 21, and Asos don’t offer loyalty programs.
H&M’s loyalty-based membership program is free to join. Once a member, you’ll get 10% off your first purchase, free shipping on orders $40+, and you’ll earn 1 point for every $1 spent. Once you reach 200 points (or $200 spent), you’ll get $5 off.
While SheIn does have a free loyalty program, the perks aren’t as extensive. When you sign up for SheIn’s loyalty program, you’ll get 15% off plus free shipping on your first purchase only.
TIP: Get an additional 15% off when you sign up for H&M’s emails and texts.
5. Forever 21 offers a 20% student discount — a bit better than SheIn’s 15% discount and the 10% discount from Asos and H&M.
Zara doesn’t offer any special student discounts. But of all the stores similar to Zara, we found the biggest student savings at Forever 21, where the discount is 20% once you register. And with the Forever 21 student discount, you can use it even for up to five years after you’ve graduated.
Here’s how the stores like Zara compare on their student discounts:
- Forever 21: 20% off student discount (valid within five years of graduating)
- SheIn: 15% off student discount
- H&M: 10% off student discount
- Asos: 10% off student discount
TIP: You’ll also get a 20% student discount at American Eagle.
6. Pay as little as $4 for dresses from SheIn — compared to $15.99 on the low end from Zara.
Zara’s price point on dresses is anywhere from $15.99 – $259. When we compared these costs to other stores like Zara, we found that SheIn had the lowest price range, starting at just $4 and going up to $129.
The next cheapest place to shop for dresses is Forever 21, where you’ll find dresses from $5 – $129.
Here’s the range in dress prices at other stores like Zara:
- SheIn: Dresses for $4 – $129
- Forever 21: Dresses for $5 – $129
- Asos: Dresses for $9.50 – $630 (for bridal dresses)
- H&M: Dresses for $9.99 – $449
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