Very embracing size diversity with new feature

Online retailer Very.co.uk, part of The Very Group, has launched a new feature on its website that helps customers choose the right size and fit.

The move is part of the e-tailer’s commitment to embrace size diversity and will allow customers to see how items will fit by using real-life female models of UK size 8, 14 and 18.

The new feature will be available initially on the Very.co.uk website, however, The Very Group added that it is planning to launch on the mobile app before the end of this year, as the feature supports the brand's focus on using technology to promote size diversity and improve customer experience.

In a statement, the online retailer stated that it hopes that the move will remove the need for customers to order items in multiple sizes, which it notes will also reduce the environmental and commercial impact of returns.

Very.co.uk using real life models of UK sizes 8,14 and 18 to embrace size diversity

The feature will launch across more than 80 Nike and Adidas product lines, as the online retail group is one of the largest online sellers of sportswear in the UK, with Very.co.uk’s sportswear sales almost tripling in the last five years.

The retail group adds that starting with sportswear makes sense as the combined Nike and Adidas sales via Very.co.uk has increased by more than 200 percent during that period.

Sam Perkins, managing director, retail, at The Very Group, said: "We sell a broad range of sizes across our sportswear and fashion ranges and want to do more to both embrace size diversity and give customers confidence in choosing the right size and fit, which they’ve told us loud and clear is a top priority.

“With the support of two of our biggest sportswear brand partners, the launch of our new feature is an important step forwards in delivering this aim.”

For now, the feature is only for Nike and Adidas products, but Very said that it is “exploring options” for scaling up the feature to roll it out across all sportswear and fashion brands.

The move follows online retailer Asos’ announcement in January that it would be trailing an augmented reality tool, ‘See My Fit’, developed in partnership with Israeli AR company Zeekit to offer customers a simulated view of a product in different sizes and on different body types, while the Perfect Dress Company stated it would be using models of every size to showcase its dresses in what it called a more “real” approach than using AR technology.

The Very Group, previously known as Shop Direct, is the UK’s largest integrated pureplay digital retailer and financial services provider, with annual sales of 2 billion pounds. Its retail brands include Very.co.uk, Littlewoods.com and LittlewoodsIreland.ie.

Image: courtesy of Very.co.uk