Today's consumers have neither the time nor the patience for brands that tell them how they should look. They're interested in businesses that help them feel more comfortable in their own skin. The constant focus on delivering highly personalized and interactive shopping experiences has led to a new trend: size inclusivity.
Today’s companies must embrace diversity, equity, and inclusivity on more than a surface level. It's about moving beyond outdated notions of gender and beauty, and accepting people of every size and shape. Doing so requires extensive cultural and organizational changes. It requires that fashion brands rethink how they define their products, promote greater diversity amongst leadership, and embrace inclusivity in suppliers, contractors, and vendors. This isn't something that can be achieved overnight, nor can it be done without a clear, data-driven strategy.
Size inclusivity has long been a challenge in online shopping. After all, sizing products across a diverse range of body shapes, sizes, and features isn’t easy.
Read on to learn more about how Tangiblee’s Virtual Try-On solution is the ultimate tool fashion retailers need to support the size inclusivity movement.
The concept of inclusive sizing is a crucial foundation of diversity. It's also one area in which fashion brands frequently fall short. This is due at least in part to the unrealistic standards under which the fashion industry has so long labored.
People who don't fit the 'norm' established by fashion brands have traditionally had difficulty finding garments that accentuate their bodies. They've been forced to rely on specialized 'collections' that only further emphasize their otherness. The reality is that in order to truly embrace size inclusivity, brands must treat size as no more relevant than cut, color, or material.
Alexandra Waldman, Co-founder and Creative Director of Universal Standard puts it best:
The only right way to do plus-size is not to do plus size.
There are fashion brands that have successfully embraced this idea. Size-inclusive businesses such as Madewell, H&M, and Everlane are showing and selling clothing with diverse sizing. Although each of these brands is distinct, they all take a very similar approach to inclusivity:
That last one especially is where many businesses run into trouble.
Size inclusivity (by definition) means offering more variance in one's product photos. That's difficult and expensive enough if you're selling apparel like shirts or activewear. In our experience, finding immersive shopping examples online featuring diverse models trying on handbags is even more difficult.
But it's also necessary. A bag looks different on someone who's 5'8 and size 2 than it does on someone who's 5'2 and size 14. To make matters worse, most handbag retailers have yet to realize this.
Traditionally, this would leave retailers with two options. Either they can use whatever product photos are immediately available to them, or they can pay out of pocket to create a series of expensive photoshoots. Neither is particularly attractive.
Especially given that there's a better way.
At Tangiblee, our interpretation of inclusivity is a broad one. We understand that when purchasing a bag, each person has different needs and preferences in terms of fit and appearance. That's why our interactive Try On solution is designed so that customers of all sizes can see how a product might look and feel.
Customers can change the size and shape of the model, and reposition the bag however they like. They can also directly interact with a bag to get a more tangible idea of how much space it provides.
In short, alongside Tangiblee's extensive gallery of lifestyle photography, our Try On solution provides your business with exactly what it needs to make its product catalog more diverse, inclusive, and compelling.
The days of restrictive beauty standards are far behind us. The fashion industry is moving fast towards inclusivity, and retailers are beginning to understand that all shoppers want to feel seen, heard, and valued. By onboarding Tangiblee's solutions, retailers can better demonstrate their commitment to that diversity.
Their commitment to making life easier for shoppers of all shapes and sizes, and making the shift from size-exclusive to truly inclusive.
