TAILOR-MADE JUST FOR MEN
Online retailers hope to make shopping more of a man’s game.
for many men, the idea of going to a mall, browsing through racks on racks of clothes and then critiquing friends’ outfits sounds like a nightmare. But that doesn’t mean every man hates buying clothes — they just dislike shopping in a woman’s world. That’s, at least, the thinking that several Canadian online startups are buying into.
Startups such as Indochino, Frank & Oak and Suitly are trying to change the way men shop, promising more convenience, personalization and no malls, while going after a growing part of Canada’s $24.25-billion e-commerce market — which EMarketer says is expected to grow to $37.9-billion by 2017 — by providing services such as online tailoring and shipping crates of clothes to men so they can shop from the comfort of their home.
“There is a broad group of men out there who enjoy shopping, but they shop differently,” says Kyle Vucko, co-founder and chief executive of Vancouver-based Indochino. “Men don’t get together and talk about what they wear or go shopping together [like women]. When you think about how retail is done today, it’s really geared toward women and how they shop.”
Indochino, founded with chief creative officer and president Heikal Gani in 2007, sells made-to-measure suits for less than $500. After a 10-minute measurement process on Indochino’s website, a custom suit arrives at the shopper’s door within four weeks.
Customers can also personalize their suits — with monogram services and different choices in lining and lapel styles — providing a very different experience from off-the-rack shopping.
“That’s why online has been very successful for shopping for men,” Mr. Vucko said. “It’s very much about doing things efficiently, guiding you through presenting content on what to buy, and helping people understand style rules. Those are things that can be shown online very easily.”
Montreal-based Frank & Oak, for example, gives each member curated recommendations of the retailer’s new collections each month, based on an algorithm of previous purchases and the latest fashion trends. In effect, each customer sees their own personalized shopfront online, says Ethan Song, co-founder and chief executive of Frank & Oak.
“We found that most men were overwhelmed by large amount of choices,” Mr. Song said. “Instead of going to a store and seeing a thousand dress shirts, Frank & Oak customers only see what’s relevant to them — based on what they like.”
Another way Frank & Oak has tried to woo male shoppers is with their Hunt Club service. Members select up to three items that are shipped to their home, which they can try on and buy or send back for free.
Technology has helped create the hyper-customized experience that Frank & Oak is aiming for, Mr Song said. “Ultimately it enables a customized experience for every single customer, which is very hard to get when you walk into a store. [A store] can’t re-customize a retail experience for every person,” he said.
It’s not hard to see why these startups are making an effort to offer specialized services to lure men to their ecommerce sites. The men’s apparel market has been looking increasingly attractive: According to market research company NPD Group, the Canadian men’s apparel segment picked up in 2011 amid a dip in the rest of the industry. Men’s clothing sales rose 3% to $22.9-billion, while women’s sales dropped 4% and children’s wear slumped 2%, NPD figures for Canada show.
Much of that increase can be attributed to the rise of well-dressed men, said Matthew Krizsan, co-founder and chief executive of Guelph, Ont.based Suitly, an ecommerce site that sells made-to-measure suits and dress shirts produced by tailors in Thailand. Mr. Krizsan launched the company in August 2012 with his wife Carol Mechedjian after he struggled to find well-fit shirts for his slim figure.
“Theres a new influence on men to look good,” Mr. Krizsan said. “Suits and dress shirts were always done by tailors … now we’re trying to recreate this custom experience.”
The men’s apparel market may also be appealing since male consumers tend to spend more in bulk, said Elliot Marer, partner in the consumer markets practice for KPMG Canada. “Females tend to go to multiple places to buy a few items, where a guy would walk into one shop and buy all their clothing in one place — even if it’s more expensive,” Mr. Marer said.
But the challenge for men’s ecommerce startups, Mr. Marer said, is to find a way to provide quality service through laptops and mobile devices that can be anything but personal.
That’s something some Canadian startups are already paying more attention to. Frank & Oak tucks in a handwritten notes with each of its clothing shipments to customers, while Indochino has crossed into the bricks-and-mortar realm, launching about 10 pop-up shop events this year.
“Guys today, when they think about getting dressed, they’re online they’re offline, they’re mobile. They’re all of the above,” said Indochino’s Mr. Vucko. “We’re not in the business of creating disruptive ecommerce company so much as we’re trying to change the way men get dressed.”