Size Up Your Shoppers

California’s Contra Costa Times reports a trend for retailers to carry stylish women’s shoes in larger sizes than in the past: Nordstrom Rack, Barefoot Tess, and Designershoes.com up to size 15.
     Younger customers, with their sharp fashion sense, are demanding the larger sizes. Size up your shoppers so you’ve the merchandise to fit them, and also to demonstrate you acknowledge them. Stocking larger sizes parallels the inclusion of Spanish text in advertising, store signage, and ecommerce screens targeted to Hispanic populations. It’s like having special sales days for senior citizens. The recipient of your message thinks, “This retailer recognizes my distinctive characteristics. I like the pride in myself this gives me, so I’ll want to give them my business.”
     One reason for the increasing shoe sizes is that consumers are getting bigger all over. This creates profitability opportunities for you. About 65% of American women would be classified as overweight by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention standards, yet women’s plus-size clothing has traditionally constituted less than 20% of the women’s apparel market.
     Car companies are positioning pedals farther apart for bigger and wider feet. Toilet seats are getting larger, and a few airlines, like United and JetBlue, allow upgrades for augmented elbow and leg room. Men have their “Big Dogs” T-shirts.
     A couple of years ago, the Debenhams department store chain began showcasing fashions using UK size 16 mannequins. Nearly all clothing shops in Britain were using size 8 or 10 mannequins, even though the majority of women in the UK now wear either size 14 or 16. Debenhams’ changes show what the store’s offerings look like on typical customers.
     Is this a good idea? There are consumer psychology findings supporting a “No.” Researchers at Tilburg University and Arizona State University found that when female study participants looked at moderately heavy models, the study participants began having unpleasant thoughts about their own weight. On the other hand, when the researchers showed images of moderately thin women, the viewers’ self-esteem improved. Better self-esteem generated by a display makes people more likely to absorb and act on the display’s message.
     Most women don’t aspire to have thinner feet, though. And for Nordstrom, the focus on feet could be seen as well-grounded. It fits not only the customers’ needs and Nordstrom’s image of extraordinary customer service, but also the business’s history. In 1901, Nordstrom began life as a shoe retailer.

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