UK retailers size up their customers
A major initiative has been launched by a consortium of UK high street firms to improve the ability of the footwear and clothing industry to tailor its products to its customer base. The National Sizing Survey Initiative 'Size UK' will recruit 10,000 volunteers in order to compile a comprehensive picture of people's shapes in modern Britain, and the information will be stored in the Size UK Database.
The survey will use cutting-edge technology to shine white light rays onto each volunteer for a matter of seconds to create a 3D image with over 130 separate measurements. The project represents the first time that men's sizes have been surveyed, and is the first nation-wide research into female sizes for 50 years.
Retailers are expected to invite customers to take part in the process, and scanning units are scheduled to visit major cities such as London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff and Edinburgh. One scanner is designed to measure feet, while another looks at the rest of the body. The manager of Size UK, Margaret Branney of GUS Home Shopping said "As Garment fit is a major factor in achieving customer satisfaction, any additional improvements we can make in this area will yield significant benefits for all shoppers."
Sir Stuart Hampson, Chairman of The John Lewis Partnership, said: "Size UK is the culmination of two years unprecedented co-operation in the fashion industry as retailers, manufacturers and academics, have worked to exploit the best of new scanning technology for the benefit of the consumer. The sheer scale and complexity of the survey would be impossible for a single organisation to handle alone. It's the natural instinct of retailers to compete, but in this case we've been happy to collaborate to ensure the survey's success."
