Under 5’10 aims to help consumers achieve the right apparel fit and its latest acquisition could bolster its presence in the specialty sizing market.
The company, which focuses on finding apparel for shorter male consumers, acquired Fittery, an e-commerce fit technology company. Fittery uses predictive analytics to match consumers to garments that fit well and aims to reduce the high cost of returns to retailers. The acquisition could help Under 5’10 leverage data to determine body proportions for consumers and alleviate sizing issues associated with online shopping.
“Under 5’10 is launching in May 2018 and I think people will be surprised at how well our clothing fits,” said Elie Robinson, Under 5’10’s founder. “The math behind the scenes makes it work, so consumers can be confident that we are the best option for shorter men to find clothing that fits them perfectly.”
Fittery, which was founded by Catherine Iger and Greg Vilines in 2014, tackles fit problems by using large data sets to develop algorithms for body sizing and for matching consumers’ bodies to well-fitting garments. The company has collaborated with more than 40 major brands—including Bloomingdales, Banana Republic, J.Crew and Ralph Lauren—to help consumers find key wardrobe staples and avoid sizing issues. According to Fittery, clothing fit is the top reason for apparel returns, resulting in roughly $18 billion in lost sales opportunity. Compared to the industry average return rate of 30 percent to 40 percent, Fittery said its return rate is much less (6 percent) for retailers that use its services. Furthermore, Fittery enables retailers to have access to fit insights and tap data to improve their product selection for consumers.
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“We are proud to be able to join with Under 5’10 to continue to innovate around e-commerce,” Iger said. “The combination of Fittery data and technology with the Under 5’10 product and user experience will provide a unique offering that should pave the way for the industry.”
Under 5’10’s acquisition comes on the heels of other industry milestones focused on apparel sizing and personalization. More than ever, consumers, especially those who buy men’s apparel, want retailers to make their purchasing journey more seamless by offering them styling advice and new technology to help them find the right fit. Customized apparel is also on male consumers’ wish lists, since the one-size-fits-all concept is no longer valid, and inclusive sizing has grown in popularity over the past few years. To meet the needs of niche consumer demographics, retailers are also ramping up their use of data to nail a more personalized shopping experience for consumers.