Stitch Fix expands men's assortment and sizing

Dive Brief:

Stitch Fix this week announced the expansion of its men's assortment with new categories and sizes. The online personal styling service is adding to its active and outdoor apparel, tailored assortment and accessories, including the launch of Stitch Fix Men exclusive brand shoes, alongside neckwear, premium socks, belts and seasonal hats.
Stitch Fix Men launched two years ago with 50 brands and 160 "fit & size" combinations, the company said in a press release emailed to Retail Dive. As of now Stitch Fix Men offers more than 100 brands and 800 "fit & size" options, including sizes up to 3X in tops and pants in sizes 28" x 28" to 48"x 36," the company said.
As with its women's service, Stitch Fix has also introduced the opportunity for men to choose from a curated collection of basics (including underwear, undershirts and socks), that they can add-on after they schedule a box.

Dive Insight:

Stitch Fix on Wednesday said that it's offering its new men's options to a waitlist of 25,000 men, just the latest initiative to make its boxes more appealing to existing customers.

Plus sizes for women were added over a year ago, with styles from Stitch Fix's own private label as well as third parties. Sales are in line with its flagship women's sales, founder and CEO Katrina Lake told analysts in June according to a transcript from Seeking Alpha. Customers tend to order a mix of plus and regular sizes, she said, which may be an advantage over pure-plus size retailers like Ascena's Lane Bryant and Catherine's brands.

The company in June also announced the launch of Stitch Fix Kids, timed for the back-to-school season. Parents can sign up a child age 2 to 14 onto their account, though boxes can't be combined between parent and child. That is a challenge to Gap Inc., which has launched subscription services for babies and kids at its Gap and Old Navy banners and Target, which similarly has babies and kids apparel box services.

The company worried investors after its first post-intital public offering quarterly report showed some limitations in its momentum, including soaring expenses for advertising and signs that its lower-cost options are selling better than the high end. But it's worked diligently in the meantime to offer merchandise that appeals to a wider consumer base, and blew past analyst expectations for third quarter sales and profit. Net revenue in that quarter rose 29% to $316.7 million, well past analyst forecasts, and net income reached $9.48 million after a $9.56 million loss in the year-ago period.