5 Ways To Cater To The Mid Size Consumer

• Create an accurate size profile with Insights > Dimensional Insights > Products to determine the sales/profit by SKU, ensuring sizes haven’t been over or under invested in. Use Decision Trees to be alerted to the SKUs that need to be reordered or paused to increase the profitability of mid size ranges.
• Brands may provide sizes for this consumer, but slow sales could suggest refinements to design and fitting are needed. Incorporate a range of fit models to ensure that the bust and waist measurements are not constricted and garment lengths are suitable. Leverage customer data to gather feedback and implement necessary modifications.
• While Good American is at the forefront of size inclusivity, only two models wearing its jeans on Revolve’s ecommerce site are a US size 12. Maintain brand values across third-party platforms by confirming how wholesale partners will display mid size products online, in store and across marketing campaigns.
• As diversity on the runway regresses, TikTok has become a hub for size inclusivity, with #midsizefashion exceeding 20 million views across the US and UK. Fall fashion and partywear are among the key trends influencers are showcasing, so prioritize mid size options for leather, lace, LBDs and metallics.

1. Build an Accurate Size Curve

Developing a precise size profile is essential when serving the mid size market. Retailers must optimize the units ordered per SKU to manage inventory and reflect consumer demand, ensuring they aren’t over or under buying key sizes. Selling out of middle sizes and being left with only fringe sizes leads to excess inventory markdowns, eroding profit margins, and contributing to textile waste, while negatively impacting the brand’s image as frustrated customers struggle to find their desired fit.

At a top level, Insights > Dimensional Insights > Products looks at a sub-category and determines the sales/profit by SKU to build an accurate size curve. For example, analyzing sweaters shows Large is the third most profitable size. However, it takes up the most significant chunk of inventory dollars and has more than triple the amount of stock cover compared to the top-selling Medium. These insights are vital for informing future purchasing and size allocation behavior.

Further enriching size inventory, Opportunities > Decision Trees > Product Opportunities sets EDITED apart from competitors with automated actions for retailers based on what is and isn’t working in their business. In Inventory Opportunities, retailers are notified of the SKUs that require replenishing, stock that needs to be increased and orders that need to be paused/cancelled. In this example, 11 sweaters have a high sales velocity, indicating their demand. Clicking through shows the exact products that need to be reordered. Knowing that Medium is the best-selling size and Large appears to be over ordered, retailers can be reactive and know where their inventory budget should be re-invested at a SKU level to generate sales, helping to make mid size ranges more profitable.

2. Rethink Fits in the Design Process

Influencers have stated that when shopping for mid size clothing, a significant problem is the bust and waist being too tight or the length too long or short. Brands may provide sizes corresponding to this market, but fit is a make-or-break factor and slow movement of in-between or above sample size garments may require further refinement at the design stage.

Ganni has stated that it experiences higher sell-through rates of products equivalent to US 4-12, with slower sales of products designed at the larger mid size end. This makes it challenging for commercial teams to justify increasing orders on these fits without generating excess stock and waste. The brand is constantly refitting and readjusting sizes, which all businesses striving to offer size inclusivity need to do in order to go beyond basic, oversized or elasticated garments using a “one size fits all” approach.

Use customer data to collect personalized sizing information and feedback and ensure representation of these sizes is included across design, fitting, decision-making processes and marketing campaigns to ensure consumers are connected.

3. Promote Size Inclusivity in Wholesale Partnerships

Efforts to capture the attention of the mid size consumer need to translate to the third-party platforms stocking your brand, which is currently an area of disconnect. Good American is known for inclusive imagery within promotional campaigns and on ecommerce models to display how products look and fit on various body shapes. However, of the 60 pairs of Good American jeans available online at Revolve, a US size 12 was the largest size featured on models. Only two were photographed, potentially alienating mid size consumers from shopping the brand on this platform.

Communications featuring Good American products from Bloomingdales, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue are only photographed on straight size models. For businesses championing size inclusivity, discuss with wholesale partners how products will be displayed online and in store to certify your brand values will be represented and the mid size consumer will feel included in their shopping experience.

4. Prioritize Fall Fits & Partywear

Views for the related hashtag peaked in July, as users searched for outfits for events such as weddings. Tap into the apparent demand for this consumer, promoting in-between sized options in partywear stories, including naked dressing, metallics, bandeau dresses and LBDs. Videos tagged with #midsizefashion continue to generate interest, with views hitting 16 million in the US and six million in the UK over the past seven days. Fall fashion dominated content, signaling retailers to position the hottest seasonal trends, such as lace, leather and grunge, to appeal to the mid size shopper.

5. Tap TikTok Creatives

Plus size representation on the runway regressed last fall, while only three mid size models exist on the Tagwalk database: Jill Kortleve, Celina Ralph and Ajok Daing.¹The Mean Life of a ‘Midsize’ Model – The New York Times As a result, TikTok has emerged as a more expansive and influential space for size inclusivity. This section spotlights key influencers to follow and learn from for content inspiration for GRWM videos, realistic try-ons and reinterpreting viral outfits or celebrity styles on mid size bodies.

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