1. Does Size Really Matter?
The Effect of Vanity Sizing on Product Evaluations
JoAndrea Hoegg Maura L. Scott
Andrea C. Morales Darren W. Dahl

2. Marketing & Consumer
Size
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3. Vanity Sizing
Let ‘em eat cake, but if you want to sell ‘em
clothes, trick ‘em into thinking that the cake they
eat doesn’t put on pounds.”
(Eisenberg 2009)
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4. The sizes, they are a-changin’
y g
Size 14
1950
and
today
Even in a 10-year spa
e 0 yea span….
Size 8 in 1986 is equal to size 10 in 1997 (Workman & Lentz 2000)
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5. The sizes, they are a-changin’
y g
Waist M
W i t Measurements for Size 7/8 Pants
t f Si P t
40
38
36
34
32
30
28
26
24
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6. Are you pa ts lying to you
e your pants y g you?
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7. Our Research
How does vanity sizing affect consumers?
Evaluation of clothing and retailers
g
Effects on self esteem
Effects on shopping behaviours
7
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8. Self-Esteem and Altered Sizes
Appearance Self Esteem – critical to sense of self worth
• Chronic level
• Context dependent
• P
People seek t attain positive boosts and avoid
l k to tt i iti b t d id
negative drops that deviate from their normal level
self-esteem.
• Clothing size may impact how we feel about
ourselves.
• L
Lower appearance esteem people are more aware of their
t l f th i
size.
8
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9. Self-Esteem and Altered Sizes
Hypothesis 1: When a clothing item that fits is a smaller
size than expected, consumers will evaluate the item
more positively.
Hypothesis 2: When a clothing item that fits is a larger size
than expected, consumers will evaluate the item more
expected
negatively.
Hypothesis 3: When appearance esteem is bolstered,
threats to self-esteem from larger size labels are
mitigated
iti t d
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10. Study 1: Fitting Room
Experience
Variables manipulated:
• Size on labels: smaller vs. larger than
expected
Bolstered self esteem: intellect vs.
vs
appearance
Key measures:
• Attitude toward the pants (bad/good,
dis/like, un/pleasant, un/satisfied)
• Likelihood to shop at the store
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11. Study 1: Fitting Room
Experience
Two Phase Study
Phase 1 Bolstering
• Intellect:
Aptitude test (GRE Jiang et al. 2010)
Outcome: 89th percentile – you’re smart!
• Appearance:
“Symmetry and proportion test” – digital
photos
h t
Outcome: 89th percentile – you’ve got a
great shape!
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12. Study 1: Fitting Room
Experience
Phase 2: Evaluating a new local fashion retailer
Size label manipulated on pants hangers
Two Sizes Smaller (10 labeled “6”; 8 labeled “4”; etc.)
6; 4 ; etc )
Two Sizes Larger (10 labeled “14”; 8 labeled “12”; etc.)
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13. Study 1: Attitude toward
Pants
5.5
5 4.82
4.79
4.5 4.30
Bolstered
4 Intelligence
3.75
3.5 Bolstered
Appearance
3
Two sizes larger Two sizes smaller
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14. Study 1 Summary
Consumers like small sizes and dislike large sizes
sizes.
Reactions to clothing size seem to be driven in
g
part by appearance self esteem.
• Bolstering feelings about appearance reduces the
threat and mitigates the negative evaluation
g g
14
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15. How Do Consumers Cope?
p
Requiring a larger size is a threat to appearance self
q g g pp
esteem.
Consumers compensate for threats by consuming.
• Affirm threatened aspects of the self
• Compensatory consumption
Hypothesis 4: When a clothing item that fits is a larger size
than expected, consumers will have higher purchase
intentions for non-sized products
non sized
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16. Study 2: Measurement
Experience
Variables manipulated
• Size: expected size, two sizes larger than expected
Phase 1:
Report expected size i b i
R t t d i in business attire
tti
Phase 2: (three weeks later)
Evaluate tailor made clothing
Key Measures:
Willingness to pay for suit
Attitude toward the suit
Likelihood of purchasing other products from retailer
> Sized items (skirts, blouses, undergarments)
> Non-sized items (fragrance, scarves, jewelry/watches)
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17. Evaluating Custom-Made
Business Suit
Go into Dressing Room
g
Take Measurements
Bring Sheet to Administrator
17
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18. Evaluating Custom-Made
Business Suit
Administrator References
Fictitious Size Chart,
Assigns Size and Suit
Sample Card
18
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19. Study 2 Results
Attitude toward suit WTP
6 5.49 $200 $188.00
5 4.53 $160 $148.00
$148 00
4
$120
3
2 $80
1 $40
0
$0
Expected Size Larger Size
19
Expected Size Larger Size
p < .05 p < .05
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20. Study 2 Results
Likelihood of Purchasing Other Items
6
5.00
5 4 83
4.83
4.44
4.07
4
Sized Items
3 Non-Sized Items
2
Expected Size Larger Size
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21. Summary – Study 2
y y
• Evidence of a coping mechanism
through consumption.
• Th t
Threatened i di id l purchase non-sized goods
d individuals h i d d
and avoid sized goods.
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22. Can Consumers Protect
Themselves?
Consumers’ Knowledge of Persuasion Attempts
g p
Consumers have ideas about persuasion that help them form
attitudes about influence agents (Friestad & Wright 1994)
Reduced size label  persuasion attempt
Hypothesis 5: The effects of altered sizing
practice will be reduced when consumers
are wary of marketing persuasion tactics
tactics.
22
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23. Study 3
Variables Manipulated
Size: smaller than expected vs. larger than
expected
Suspicion of marketers: yes vs. no
S i i f k t
Two part study:
Part 1: Read persuasion knowledge article or neutral
article
Part 2:
P 2 Scenario about selecting and trying on pants
S i b l i d i
… as you pull the pants up you find that they are far
[too loose/too tight]...After trying on a few pairs, you
find a pair that fits perfectly that is labeled two sizes
[smaller/larger] than your normal size.
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24. Study 3 Results - Attitudes
6
5.32
5 4.78
4 78
4 3.88 Not Suspicious
3.28 Suspicious
3
2
Smaller Size Larger Size
24
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25. Conclusions
• Consumers like fitting into smaller sizes and
respond very negatively to larger sizes
• Size label can act as a boost or threat to consumers’
self esteem
esteem.
• Is boosted self esteem a good thing in this case?
• Consumers respond to appearance threats by
purchasing non-sized appearance-enhancing items.
• Improving consumers’ awareness of marketing
tactics reduces, but does not eliminate the effects.
reduces effects
25
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26. Thank you!