What do women want? That age-old question is usually the precursor to sexist statements about how nobody knows — because dames, amirite? But, it turns out that when it comes to what women buying lingerie want, there's date to provide a straightforward answer.
Fast Company reports that Adore Me,
an up-and-coming lingerie e-comm site, conducts extensive image testing on its website to see which photos prompt women to click.
The brand shoots multiple versions of its product images, featuring different models wearing the same undies, the same models in different positions and different settings, and runs what's known in the industry as "A/B Tests." These tests (which R29 and many other companies use), randomly serve up one photo to half of visitors, and a different pic to the other half. The photo that receives the most clicks is then used on the site.
And, the results of thousands of such tests are interesting to say the least. Adore Me found that its customers are way more likely to purchase lingerie shown on brunette models than blondes. Photos containing props get fewer clicks (but couches are okay). In-your-face sexiness is a no-go, which is why Adore Me doesn't do your standard "open-mouthed model vamping in boudoir" shots. And, customers respond to subtleties in poses in a remarkably consistent way: The hand on hip pose, not so much. But, when a model touches her hair, product sales can double.
Adore Me's research shows that this kind of testing really matters — and the fact that the brand has grown to one earning $5.6 million in revenue in just four years bears that out. Read more about the data of what women do and don't want at Fast Company — including heartening info on how data testing actually results in a more diverse cast of models. (Fast Company)