With the holiday season just around the corner, many UK consumers have
turned their thoughts to finding that perfect Christmas party dress, or
Boxing Day suit. However, with the average UK size sitting between a size
14 and 16, many shoppers may be stuck searching for the as new research indiciates that over one
in three (38 percent) Brits struggle to find clothing that fits them well.
This figure increases to nearly half of UK women aged between 16 and 44 (49
percent) according to new research from Mintel.
Although many UK consumers will take their search for a better fit offline
as well as online, a number will also take matters in to their own hands,
with one third (33 percent) of the 2,000 consumers questioned making their own alterations to
garments. In addition, almost two in five (38 percent) of the respondents
questioned by Mintel revealed they are not confident finding the right
clothes which best flatter and suit their shape and size, even though more
than half (55 percent) are willing to spend more money on the right
products.
With overall spend on plus-size clothing predicted to reach in 2015 according to research
firm Conlumino, fashion retailers should be investing more in developing
the right cut and fit for their collections. “The fact that consumers are
willing to spend more on clothes that flatter them highlights just how
important it is for retailers to focus on designing clothes that are cut to
fit well and use the correct fabric to improve the way a garment falls,”
believes Tamara Sender, senior Fashion Analyst at Mintel.
“Retailers can also do more to help shoppers find the correct fitting
clothes and there is scope to have staff with additional training in
tailoring skills on hand in changing rooms that know how to measure a
customer and advise them on what fits.” Three in four (76 percent) of UK
consumers would prefer to see an improved size standardization across
fashion retailers and brands, with an additional 63 percent interested in
seeing more stores offering a wider selection of sizing ranges, such
as petite or plus-sizes.
Research indicates that the highest levels of UK consumers dissatisfaction
when shopping for new clothes is linked to the availability of desired
items in the correct size. 7 percent of Brits who recently purchased
clothing, either online or in-store, said they were dissatisfied by this,
with one in ten 16-24 year old discontented by the lack of correct size.
“There are currently huge variances between retailers, with a size 12 for
example fitting differently depending which retailer or brand it is
purchased from, meaning customers cannot automatically know whether a
garment will fit them without trying it on,” added Sender.
“There is therefore a real need for retailers to more accurately
manufacture clothes so there is consistency in sizing across all retailers
and brands.” With 65 percent of UK consumers buying clothes online, sizing
continues to be a thorn in e-tailers sides. Mintel found that 37 percent of
shoppers returned clothes bought online over the past year, with 54 percent
of 16-24 consumers sending back an ill-fitting item bought online. The main
reason for returning the clothing was poor fit, with 43 percent citing this
as the top reason for their return.
“While the growth of online shopping has accentuated the focus on the
problems consumers have with finding clothes that fit, this is not a new
problem,” pointed out Sender. One solution to the problem could come in the
form of a which would offer
consumers exact measurements in seconds. With UK shoppers showing keen
interesting in technological fitting solution, Mintel found that 45 percent
of Brits would also be interested in using a virtual fitting solution that
compares the measurements of an item they already own to one online.
45 percent would also be interested in using a service, such as a
smartphone app to match their measurements to the correct size with
different retailers and 39 percent would like to try a to find their perfect
fit. “In an increasingly competitive market, retailers that look to find
solutions for customers shopping both in-store and online will stand out
from rivals,” concluded Sender.
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