New Retail Report from Getwizer Reveals Parents’ Extreme Frustration With Retailers’ One Size Fits All Model

Sizing discrepancies lead more parents to shop in-person, says Getwizer Retail Report

New York, NY, June 2nd, 2022 – A new report from consumer insights platform Getwizer reveals the extreme highs and lows that parents and their children experience due to sizing discrepancies from store to store. Despite a long history of shopping being a bonding experience for parents and children, the reality of inconsistent sizing and the difficulty of shopping for kids who are “out of the norm” can make kids feel isolated and parents feel bad about the entire shopping experience.

According to the Getwizer report, childrens’ body types are highly varied and close to 50% of parents say  their kids fall into other categories such as Tall, Plus-Size or Petite, which is outside of the “norm” in some way. Having a single approach to sizing makes many shoppers feel like something is wrong with them and causes significant emotional stress. For example, as many as 30% of parents with plus-sized kids suffer more frustration and negativity than almost any other group, followed by 22% of parents with petite children. As many as one-quarter of parents with plus-size or petite children also report feelings of anxiety and stress when shopping. In the report, one parent commented, “Literally nothing fits. There are no clothes available for short thin girls and the styles are not appropriate for their age. I hate shopping because they feel badly after because nothing fits, I’m stressed because they can’t find anything.’’ 

Despite a major societal shift to online purchasing in recent years, only accelerated by the Pandemic, the Getwizer report found that discrepancies in sizing are driving parents to shop in-store. According to one parent, “Sizes aren’t true to fit from brand to brand and/or store to store. This makes it very difficult to purchase online especially if the return policy doesn’t guarantee or make returns easy.” The report outcomes support this sentiment as more than 60% of those who shop in-store indicated that it was because it’s easier to find the right sizes, and having the ability to try things is a key reason for in-store purchasing.

“It’s important for retailers to be aware of the emotional impact sizing can have on their consumers,” says Shira Watermann, Senior Vice President, Global Research at Getwizer. “While many retailers are addressing these realities, parents are still dealing with intense emotions, which are often complicated by other family dynamics. Prioritizing more inclusive sizing is a necessity in order to create a better shopping experience for all.”

Despite the frustrations with sizing noted above, as many as 85% of parents report overwhelmingly positive emotions associated with shopping, using words like fun, happiness, satisfaction, excitement and connection/bonding to describe the experience.

To view the full report, please visit x. 

About Getwizer

Getwizer is a hybrid consumer insights platform integrating the very best of tech and human expertise to deliver a custom, quick and efficient research experience. We enable insights, product and marketing teams to study whatever they need, whenever they need it, freeing them up to focus on decision-making that drives growth. Getwizer counts among its clients brands such as Reebok, Johnson & Johnson, Playtika, LG and Nielsen. For more information visit www.getwizer.com.