When developing a new design – and especially when developing a new brand – you want to make it fit your customers. Even if your brand doesn’t cater to a specific fit niche like petite, curvy, or athletic, there are still things that might differentiate your customers from the “average” woman. (I use quotes for average because rarely is a person exactly average.)
How do you know what these fit differences are? One way to discover the unique fit your customers are craving is to find out what alterations they usually need. If you can find out what alterations they need when shopping in general – not just from your brand – you will start to see where the problem areas are. If you keep hearing about the same alteration from multiple people in your target market, you can incorporate this into the fit of your design from the start and save them a trip to the tailor.
Finding out what alterations your customers are actually paying to get done, rather than just the ones they often find they need is even more powerful. This proves that not only is there a frustration and lack of good options in this area (market gap opportunity), but it is a problem that your customers have demonstrated they are willing to pay to solve. This is good news for your brand. If you can design a garment that fits without needing any alterations, buying from your brand becomes an easy choice.
The more you can learn about your customers’ fit challenges and the alterations they spend money to get, the better informed your fit will be.