Size Up Value in Showing Body Size Diversity

Past consumer behavior studies have concluded that women are motivated to purchase items modeled by people who are somewhat thinner than they themselves are, but not dramatically thinner. This is consistent with consumers’ attraction to what they aspire to be—aspirations that may get more adventurous in this Ozempic era.
     Still, researchers at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and University of Bath argue for showing models of various body sizes in online ads for clothing as well as on websites displaying the catalog of items, and for men’s fashions as well as women’s. This helps a shopper purchase a product which will fit them well while also serving the socially positive objective of enhancing acceptance of diversity in body builds, including self-acceptance of not being thin.
     The researchers consider three schemes used on fashion retailer websites: Showing only thin models, as Zara has done; showing models of various sizes mixed across items, as Lululemon has done; and prompting the website viewer to choose the model’s body size for viewing items, as Good American has done.
     The overall finding from the set of studies was that showing only thin models dissuades shoppers who aren’t thin from purchasing online. Along with this, the likelihood of product returns increases. The researchers point out that poor fit is a major reason for returns of clothing purchases and that product returns are costly for retailers and for the environment.
     One of the studies found that, compared to portrayal of body-size diversity in ads, portrayal of body-size diversity on product pages had a stronger positive effect on a shopper’s interest in continuing to shop with the retailer. The researchers explain this difference in terms of how a consumer’s mindset differs depending on whether they’re browsing products or gathering information about a brand.
     Another of the studies supported the common-sense conclusion that the overall body-size of a model counts more for a woman when purchasing a dress than when purchasing shoes. However, another study hints that body size is still a consideration for marketers with items where the shopper’s body size would seem unimportant: Researchers at Villanova University, Baruch College, St. John's University, Hofstra University, and University of Alberta found that salespeople more frequently recommend round- rather than angular-shaped lamps and perfume bottles to shoppers with a larger body size. The researcher’s explanation is that good salespeople look at similarities between characteristics of the shopper and the merchandise.

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