Using data to benefit people in everyday life is becoming more prominent. A new company called True&Co is using data collected from its’ customers to improve bra fitting. It is hard for women to find the right bra for their bodies, so True&Co is trying to fix that problem. Customers take a quiz to find a brand of bras that would fit their body. True&Co has collected data from millions of customers. The company is now beginning to launch its’ own products that incorporates the data it has received. With the software that the company uses, they have identified about 6,000 body types. People are not accustomed to having a physical product made just for them, but with the data being collected it is becoming a reality. This process is similar to the internet collecting data on us. The internet collects data on us and uses it to personalize websites and make recommendations. The data collected from the quizzes will allow women to know what kind of bra would be the best fit for them.
There is competition from a company called ThirdLove. ThirdLove uses an app to allow women to determine their measurements without having to go to a store. Victoria’s Secret has also created a quiz for women to take. Companies are trying to improve bra shopping for women.
This data and technology use allows women to find the best bra for them without having to spend lots of time trying them on. Soon this technology could be used for other clothing shopping and not just bras. A lot of time that would have been spent on finding the perfect bra fit can be spent on something else.
This article raises concerns of personal data collection. It involves how personal women want to get when shopping for bras. Some women feel embarrassed shopping for bras in stores, so this could be a way for those people to feel more secure while they are shopping. On the other hand, some women might feel violated that personal information about their bodies is being shared and reviewed with other people. For example, I am not sure if I would want to use the app available from ThirdLove to determine my measurements. I would feel like my personal information would be shared with too many people.
In conclusion, using data is a great way to enhance people’s lives, but there could be a point where too much data collection could be an issue. Having too much personal data collected raises privacy concerns. How do you feel about apps collecting personal body measurements? Would you buy products from True&Co?
Here is the link to the article: http://www.wired.com/2014/06/trueco/
When we do browsing, clicking, and making transactions, our records are recorded by the manipulators, the webs, and the companies. I think that the company True&Co is a brilliant business model. I would like to share my data contributing to this model. It’s like a good size chart for people. Like the web says: ‘For instance, 62 percent of women complain about “busting out,” particularly in their underarms. So, True&Co designed a bra with a high-cut spandex band to prevent that from happening.'(https://www.wired.com/2014/06/trueco/) By using model, I think the size of cloth will be more fitted. Every time I shop online, It cost me hours coming up which size will fit me. When it’s delivered, I sometime find that the size is not as good as I expect. By using the model, I think there will be a certain model for people’s shape like me, which helps me better choosing my cloth. I do want this model applying to more filed like man’s cloth. Even it can be applied to areas like digital devices, like the mouse is better for some people with smaller hands, some for people with big hands.
Like (https://blog.infegy.com/how-online-consumer-data-can-improve-the-in-store-experience) said, I think these following attributes should be taken in consider, building the model:
‘What products are you selling?
How do people feel about those products?
What is the overall affinity for your brand or store?
What are the needs and interests of your customers?
Who are your ideal customers? What are your buyer personas?
Who are your competitors and how are they performing?
How do people feel about your competitors?
What is your in-store signage and messaging? How is it received?
How are your marketing and advertising efforts performing?’
Overall, the model is a good business model, but when it is implemented, there might be some problems like some people like the cloth being over-sized. It’s better for them to provide a function like this satisfying people with different shopping styles.
Reference:
https://www.wired.com/2014/06/trueco/
https://blog.infegy.com/how-online-consumer-data-can-improve-the-in-store-experience
A lot of other companies are jumping on similar trends as True&Co to try and use as much data as possible to help people shop as efficiently as they can. Now stores are using technology and data together to try and have as much information as possible that can help the customers when shopping. Stores like Apple have each sales person with a tablet that has a credit card swipe attached to it to make them not only sales people, but cashiers as well. Along with a speedy check out, they also make sure that these sales people have full view of the inventory at their store and stores nearby to make sure that they can help a customer find something if its not currently available at their location.
I think that this is an amazing way to make the user experience quicker and easier for people to get the most out of their shopping experience. I know from past experience that it is extremely annoying not being able to get full information or trying to buy a product and they don’t have exactly what you want available. By cutting out these factors, its going to help the overall business and utilizes technology to allow the sales people to be as helpful as they can to customers. This can help all people and should be brought into more businesses because it would work in any type of store for all product types.
True&Co is doing a good job of using data to its advantage, but there are still more ways that they can find to use data to help them be more successful and benefit the customers even more.
While True&Co’s business model is great for the user experience and is beneficial in the retail clothing industry, I am not sure that it will last very long. I do not think it can grow and be adapted across the spectrum of other business models and product classes.
With mass customization comes more expense for the manufacturer, as small batch processing must be put in place and large production schedules can no longer be run. With unique orders coming in daily, it is impossible for a manufacturer to fully ramp up production, leaving machines idle and raw material inventory levels growing. These inefficiencies increase variable costs exponentially, and will also affect supply chain members both upstream and downstream. For example, logistics companies would not be able to ship full truck loads, dramatically raising shipping costs, retailers would need to hold larger amounts of inventory in order that they could fill their orders quickly, and raw material providers would have inconsistent orders and may not be able to provide manufacturers with all the necessary components.
I do think that for small retailers who specialize in custom clothing orders would be able to carry out such order processes, but I would have to disagree that this production strategy is applicable across retail businesses and other product categories, especially those on a larger scale. Costs would simply be too high for large companies in food service, consumer products, large scale retail and personal products to be able to sustain profits. Would you as a customer want to incur the extra cost for marginal customization? Would you want to wait far longer for a custom good when we as consumers are used to express delivery?
I think that the company True&Co is a brilliant business model. It has taken online shopping to the next level, making it even easier to buy products well suited for each individual online.
As stated in the article, data allows many of the world’s biggest companies to do what they do. Expanding this idea into the clothing industry was inevitable, and it will improve shopper’s experiences. Customers will no longer have to “take what they can get” but instead almost always be satisfied with their purchase. True&Co creates less waste, because does not make products that won’t fit anyone. It will help reduce the amount of returns, because each bra is customized to the individual.
I agree that use of data will expand to other parts of the clothing industry. It provides a unique, personal experience for everyone, and many will appreciate this. Soon we will all be able to order products that are perfect for us, within the comfort of our own home.
I don’t think the data collection of body measurements would be harmful, because the company doesn’t have images or overly personal information. Measurements wouldn’t be the type of data that a company would exploit, because there wouldn’t be much to use the data for, besides clothing. A body scanning app would be more invasive, and have more of an issue with privacy.
Personally, I would be okay with providing my measurements to True&Co, but I would probably not be comfortable using ThirdLove’s app with body scanning technology. I feel the app is unnecessary for creating the product and a violation of privacy. Allowing the company to create a personalized product based on my measurements would be worth it, because it would ensure the product is the best fit for me.
Overall, I think True&Co’s business model is one that will improve the clothing industry. Some may view the collection of body measurements as a violation of personal information. On the other hand, some customers would feel more comfortable being able to stay in their own home, without going into a store and being measured by a sales associate. This new technology is best suited for women that don’t feel comfortable shopping for bras in stores.