NEW YORK — When Lands' End Inc. first offered consumers the ability to customize apparel online late last year, executives believed it would add mere froth to sales. Now, it's become such an online standard that the catalog retailer is preparing to roll out more categories this fall.
The company, based in Dodgeville, Wis., already expanded the program from chinos to men's and women's jeans in April. Next month, customers will be able to specify exact dimensions and features for men's shirts and tailored pants. Swimsuits and men's suits are in the offing, as well.
"This is becoming a mainstream part of our business. This will be the customary way of people buying our clothes online," said Bill Bass, senior vice president of e-commerce at Lands' End, the first apparel company to team up with Archetype Solutions Inc., a startup based in Emeryville, Calif., that develops mass customization in clothing.
Bass would not offer specific revenue projections but noted that online sales from customized chinos has well exceeded the 10 percent goal in that category while about 25 percent of customized clothing sales comes from new customers.
Lands' End, which was bought earlier this year by Sears, Roebuck and Co., also will reap the benefits of having less inventory in its warehouses as more of its clothing is made to order.
"In apparel, you either run out of it too soon or you bought too much and you have all this overstock," said Bass. "The nice thing about customization is that you always have what the customer wants."
Still, even with Lands' End's new-found success, some industry analysts are not convinced that customization of apparel is for everyone.
"To be successful, you have to be awfully nimble and awfully sure of your customer base," said Jeff Roster, a senior analyst at Gartner. "Lands' End has a long history with its customers, who are very loyal. They don't mind spending a few extra dollars."
Lands' End's customized jeans and chinos run about $54, some $20 or $30 more than the regular versions.
Roster added that he believes that customization will be difficult for mass chains or department stores because they're not as knowledgeable about their customer base offline as well as online.
Robert Holloway, chief executive of Archetype, disagrees.
"Everyone is looking for a good fit, and the issue is fundamental to the apparel industry," he said. He said he was seeing interest in customizing apparel from all kinds of retailers, including discounters.
A large regional men's and women's clothing chain will be launching a customization service in October, Holloway said, refusing to disclose its name.
Lands' End's move into customization marks the first time that a major brand has offered the service online. For the past three years, Levi Strauss & Co. has been customizing jeans for consumers at their own stores, using tailors on hand. It had previously used body scanners to measure customers.
Bass believes that customization will work for almost every apparel category Lands' End offers except for stretch clothing items like knit shirts, which conform to the customer's body type. The company is also adding more colors and fabrics.
Bass believes part of the company's success is due to sheer convenience. To order custom-made clothing online, customers just spend a few minutes inputting a series of measurements — including height, weight, shoe size and other body shape details, like bra size — on the company's Web site.
Customers can also select pocket options, fit styles and colors. Customized clothing is delivered to customers' homes within two to three weeks. Lands' End is not ruling out offering the service in kiosks in its stores.
Bass noted that the return rate for customized clothing has fared better than the industry average, which runs about 6 percent to 6.5 percent, according to the National Retail Federation. Any unwanted garments are sold at outlet stores.
But success has not come without headaches, particularly ironing out the kinks in the manufacturing process, which is far different from producing mass quantities. Once processed, the order is digitally sent to manufacturing partners, which individually cut and sew the product based on a computer-generated pattern.
Bass said the company has had to train its manufacturing partners, which had to switch to new machinery. Chinos are being manufactured in Mexico, though company officials are looking at additional capacity in the Far East. Jeans will continue to be made in Mexico. Dress shirts and tailored pants will be made in the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica.
As for the measurement questions on the company's Web site, there's constant tweaking, Bass said. In the women's section, Lands' End added the question about waist a few months after the official launch, and may change it to seat measurements, which could be a better gauge of fit.
Overall, the goal is "to try to ask questions that people already know," Bass said. "That is why we are so successful. You can do this in a couple of minutes."