The Gap Does Something (Else) Right: Crowd-Sourced Fit Reviews

What’s really cool about the Gap right now–even cooler than those amazing Pierre Hardy-designed boots, shown below–is that it’s aiming to do more for the customer than simply providing quality product. (Of course, that’s the most important thing, but stellar customer service is crucial, too. ) Here, you can see an example of Gap.com’s crowd-sourced fit reviews. Unlike most e-commerce sites, Gap not only provides a place for customers to leave reviews, it also asks each reviewer to rate the overall fit (i.e. whether it’s true to size or not) as well as the accuracy of the length, hips, rise and waist measurement. For example, on this pair of red schoolboy khakis, 4 out of 4 reviewers said that the pants fit true to size. For someone a bit weary of buying clothes online for fear that they’ll need to be returned because of a bad fit, these reviews are a comfort. Plus, these reviews result in honest market research–no focus group needed.

Despite its reputation for pioneering the specialty retail category–as well as being the biggest clothier on the planet–the Gap has struggled over the last decade to tap into the cultural zeitgeist. The naughties proved difficult for the basics brand (we were sick of those rainbow-striped sweaters long before Gap designers were sick of them). But bringing on the unlikely team of cost-cutting chief executive Glenn Murphy (his experience is in drug stores) and fashion insider Patrick Robinson (whose resume includes unsuccessful stints at Perry Ellis and Paco Rabanne) in 2007 has unexpectedly worked. While sales still aren’t where they should be, they’re getting better, as is product selection and fit. (What’s more, Murphy is so good at managing the bills that the company is still operating at a profit despite declining sales for several years.) And of course, it doesn’t hurt that khaki is making a comeback.