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ThirdLove brings digital bra-fitting to physical retail with its first store

July 23, 2019Written by Tom Ryan

Photo: ThirdLove

"Nobody wants to go bra shopping," Heidi Zak, co-founder and co-CEO of online lingerie seller ThirdLove told Business Insider in September 2018. "I started the company so a woman wouldn't have to go to the store." Despite that original mission, ThirdLove has become the latest digital native to test a physical location. The retailer will run a pop-up in Manhattan’s Soho section from July 24 through the end of 2019. Since launching in 2014, over 14 million women have been fitted online through ThirdLove’s Fit Finder technology, which is said to take 60 seconds to complete, asking women a series of questions about their current bra and unique breast shape. Proprietary algorithms developed in-house by ThirdLove’s female-led data science and design teams then help find the perfect fit across the brand’s broad range of 78 sizes, including half-sizes. In a statement, Ms. Zak said ThirdLove is opening the pop-up because “a lot of our customers have expressed a desire to connect with our brand in person.” Management is also testing what women are looking for from an in-person ThirdLove shopping experience. The store will seek to “replicate this digital experience by making shopping for a bra more convenient and more educational, so women have the knowledge and support they need to know how a bra should properly fit.” At the pop-up, “Fit Stylists” will tap Fit Finder technology to avoid the anxiety and awkwardness of having an associate use a tape measure for bra fittings. Over 60 percent of the 1,000-square-foot space will be dedicated to fitting rooms, including some with drawers in the back that allow associates to slide garments through to the customers without having to walk in or pass items through a flimsy curtain. Larger fitting rooms will be available for a higher level of one-on-one assistance. ThirdLove’s pop up arrives as a number of brands, including Adore Me, American Eagle’s Aerie and True&Co, are increasingly challenging the largest lingerie player, Victoria’s Secret, with more inclusive offerings and marketing. Also adding technology to bra-fitting is Chico's FAS's SOMA brand, which recently introduced the SOMAINNOFIT Bluetooth-connected bra and an accompanying fit-predicting app to “measure your shape in seconds.”

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