THE RIGHT FIT: Finding a great dress that fits well is real treat for a shopper — and a retailer trying to sell to that shopper. For e-commerce players, however, that outcome is sometimes difficult because shoppers can’t try on clothes by scrolling. Online retailer ModCloth is attempting to remedy this fit conundrum with a feature on its iOS app called Fit for Me. The feature identifies top-rated merchandise in customers’ sizes by allowing them to narrow down ModCloth reviews using four different measurements: height, bra, waist and hips.
Fontaine Foxworth, a product manager at ModCloth, explained Fit for Me draws upon a wealth of information customers have already provided ModCloth. “ModCloth has thousands of reviews on products. Eighty percent of our products have been reviewed, and 55 percent of those have detailed measurements with the reviews,” she said.
In determining whether Fit for Me is successful, ModCloth will look at its return rate and whether that rate decreases. “Knowing something fits on other people can really eliminate some of the variability that leads to returns,” said Foxworth. Of course, she acknowledges not all customers want their measurements to be shown to others, and there’s no requirement on ModCloth that measurements be inputted. “We want to protect our customers and make them feel comfortable. By creating a community at ModCloth, though, we can encourage people to feel comfortable,” she said. “We allow people to ease into it if they want by making their measurements private and later they can make them public.” The Fit for Me feature is the latest addition to ModCloth’s app that was released in April. Today, roughly half of ModCloth’s visits are via mobile devices. “Our customers are there, so we need to give them the features they want,” concluded Foxworth.