Fitcode's New Product Targets $5.2-Billion Men's Denim Market
Fitcode, the apparel tech startup that helps women get into great-fitting jeans and features more than 110,000 users to date, has gained so much momentum with several new clients that it’s finally launching a solution for men in response to client demand.
In development for the past six months and based on market research around men's bodies and fit issues, fit testing, and meticulous measurements, this new offering is focused on the $5.2 billion opportunity in the men’s denim market.
“Fit is an issue that applies to everyone, and it’s the number-one factor for both men as well as women when selecting denim,” says Fitcode director of marketing Stephanie Chacharon, “so this is the next logical step.” Breaking it down, while women are overwhelmingly focused on fit (83 percent), nearly two thirds (64 percent) of men say fit is their top purchase driver.
Expected to launch in December, Fitcode for men features a fit quiz similar to the women’s quiz. With the men’s solution, Fitcode gives denim companies a comprehensive fit solution across their total jeanswear inventory and is designed to help drive sales and customer engagement across the board. Shoppers who complete the fit quiz are 400 percent more likely to purchase and view 150 percent more product pages than consumers who skip the quiz.
“We’re eager to provide partners with more consumer data to help them make informed, profitable business decisions that turn browsers into buyers,” says CEO Rian Buckley. “We’re focused on helping our partners pair the right customer with the right product — on the first try — and expanding our coverage furthers this focus.”
Getting the right fit the first time around is especially important for men. When shopping for jeans, 95 percent say fit matters more than style, and more than three quarters don’t want to be bothered with tailoring their jeans post-purchase. Fitcode’s men’s survey found that a key headache is overall fit; finding jeans that fit well in the waist, for example, might mean a less desirable fit elsewhere.
And because fit is a top priority, 92 percent of survey participants say they do some of their denim shopping in store in order to try on jeans before buying.
Chacharon says the December launch will give denim brands an “extra boost to start the new year strong” after the holiday shopping frenzy dies down. One denim brand is already prepared to go live once the solution emerges from beta in December, she concludes.