Size Me Up

Did you know that more than one-third of holiday gifts are returned each year? Turns out that according to surveys conducted by the National Federation of Retailers that the biggest reason is -- wrong fit. 

If you've been following our Tuned In stories you know that we're convinced that the concept of finding unresolved problems that can be quantified by specific personas and turned into experiences that resonate in the market is something we believe anyone can do in any industry ... if you start with a real problem. A collegue of ours introduced me to one this week ... Size Me Up http://www.sizemeuponline.com/. 

Launched by 22 year-old Melissa Adelman, the company is based on a single premise and value proposition. For a variety of good and not so good reasons, the retail industry has evolved to produce lots of products that seem similar but in reality aren't even close to being the same thing. We've probably known for some time that a size 10 can be anything from a size 10 to a couuple of sizes bigger or smaller in another store. Yet, the question we've overlooked is what if anything can be done about this to eliminate a pretty big retail industry and consumer experience problem. 

Buying clothes for others is hard enough. Add the complexity of getting a good read on their size to begin with to the myriad of permutations that retailers have created and you've got an issue that is beyond frustrating. Are you one of those folks who now pins the receopt inside the box when you give a gift so the recipient can take it back ... or even mention it when you hand the gift over?  You're not alone. Tom Van Riper at Forbes.com recently posted that they found examples where things like a pair of Gap size 8 petite 'Long and Lean' jeans are equivalent to a size 10 short 'Straight 77 Stretch' jeans from American Eagle Outfitters. How were we to know that?   

Size Me Up does all the 'leg work' for you on this (sorry, couldn't resist). They maintain a database that allows you to quickly enter your size and brands into their analyzer. Their patent-pending sizing algorithm does the rest, converting this information into specific shopping lists for any number of retail outlets. Provided online, this enables anyone shopping to quickly access a link real-time in stores to make those pesky last minute choices on exactly what to buy. 

The business outlook for Adelman is pretty promising. She's already secured two awards for best-in-class start-up that enabled her to launch her business. All based on a simple problem that she observed herself and turned into a business that has the attention of all of the 40 major retailers.

Adelman and Size Me Up are Tuned In. 

Comments

[Michael Ray Hopkin]

This is a great example of someone getting tuned in to both trends and opportunities. I've found myself in that awkward situation of wanting to buy a nice gift but not knowing the right size (or even understanding womens' sizes in general). Thanks for pointing us to Melissa's site. (Now if someone will just create a site that will help me get the style thing right....)