Online Shopping: Now it’s Personal

USA TODAY - July 31, 2007 –

Anyone who shops knows crushing disappointment: You love those shoes — if only the heels were a little lower. Or, you want that handbag — but in a different color. These jeans are so cool — if only they fit your zaftig behind.

Sure, you can hire your own dressmaker, tailor and shoemaker — if you've got the bucks and the time. The rest of us turn to the Internet, where online customization and personalization of apparel and accessories is growing. Sport-shoe retailers such as Nike and Converse have offered customized shoes for years, but now you can design your own high-fashion high heels at SteveMadden.com and build your own handbag at FreddyandMa.com. Zafu.com will take your measurements and steer you to retailers selling jeans that will fit you. Last month, Zafu added bras to its menu; coming soon are casual and dress pants.

"It's a growing niche in the market (because) it's an incredible new asset for shoppers," says Eva Yusa, the Shopping Diva blogger on ShopLocal.com, the comparison-shopping site.

It's an asset for retailers, too, says Marshal Cohen, retail analyst at the NPD Group marketing research firm, because it encourages consumers to get over their reluctance to buy online.

If a consumer is involved in the design or fitting of a product, 72% of the time they will buy, compared with 23% of the time for the fashion business in general, Cohen says. "In other words, you can grow your business threefold," he says. "When the consumer realizes the retailer is offering something that has me in mind, that's the key."

Overall, Internet retail continues to grow. Online sales of apparel (not including shoes) now tops $10.5 billion annually as of May, according to NPD Group. That's an 8.5% increase over 2006, which in turn showed a 9.3% increase over 2005.

"This is one of those times when touching and feeling (a product) is less important because being able to design clothing that fits you or to design something the way you want it trumps that," Cohen says.

It's a natural outgrowth of everyone's desire to "put their own stamp on the world," says Yusa. "The more we use the Internet to get our own views and opinions out there, whether it's through our own blog, or our MySpace pages or our websites, the more demand there is for putting our own stamp on what we shop for."