Here’s what most brands get catastrophically wrong: They’re obsessing over the wrong customer. While fashion brands chase the mythical size 0-4 customer, they’re ignoring 67% of actual US women who wear size 14 and above. Mango figured this out, and their transformation from a segregated plus-size line to a fully integrated experience is a masterclass in customer-first thinking that every CX professional needs to understand.
This isn’t just a fashion story; it’s a blueprint for how to stop leaving money on the table while serving your real customers.
The brutal truth about who your customers are
Let’s start with some uncomfortable facts that’ll make you rethink everything:
The average American woman wears size 16. Not size 6, not size 10, size 16. She’s 5’4″ tall, and guess what? She’s been desperately trying to find clothes that fit her properly while brands obsess over runway models.
Here’s the kicker: 67% of women wear a size 14 or above, yet during Fashion Week 2023, only 0.6% of runway looks were available in these sizes. Imagine if 67% of your customers walked into your store and you told them, “Sorry, we don’t really cater to people like you.”
That’s precisely what’s been happening, and it’s insane.
How Mango turned their biggest mistake into their biggest opportunity
Back in 2014, Mango launched Violeta by Mango as a separate plus-size line. Classic mistake, right? Segregate the “different” customers, allocate them to special sections, and charge them more because, well, they’re the exception.
Except they weren’t the exception. They were the majority.
In 2021, Mango had its lightbulb moment. Instead of treating size inclusivity as a nice-to-have add-on, they integrated everything. No more separate stores, no more “special” sections, no more making 67% of women feel like outsiders.
Here’s what that integration looked like (and why it’s genius):
Pricing that doesn’t punish your actual customers
Before integration, plus-size clothing cost up to 11% more than smaller sizes. Why? Because brands treated it as specialty merchandise with smaller production runs.
Mango flipped this. By integrating everything, they leveraged massive purchasing volumes to cut prices on larger sizes. Suddenly, the majority of their customers were no longer being penalized for having average body sizes.
The CX lesson: When you stop treating your biggest customer segment as a niche, you can serve them better and more affordable.
Design expertise that works
Here’s where most brands go wrong: they think making larger sizes means simply scaling up smaller patterns. Wrong. Bodies don’t scale proportionally.
Mango kept their Violeta patternmakers and integrated them into the main design team. This meant every single piece was designed with proper fit in mind, not just stretched to accommodate larger sizes.
The CX lesson: When you’re serving a new segment, don’t half-ass the expertise. Invest in understanding what they really need.
Omnichannel without the awkwardness
Imagine walking into a store and being told, “Oh, you need to go to the special section over there.” Or worse, “you need to shop online because we don’t carry your size in stores.”
Mango eliminated this entirely. Sizes up to 54 are available in all their women’s stores. Staff are trained to assist everyone, and if an item isn’t in stock, they can facilitate online purchases right on the spot using tablets.
The CX lesson: Seamless experiences mean never making customers feel like they’re the exception, even when they’re the majority.
Before integration:
- Segregated shopping (separate Violeta stores/sections)
- Limited style options
- Premium pricing
- Specialized, often stigmatizing shopping experiences
After integration:
- Integrated retail experience
- 500+ styles available in extended sizes
- Mainstream pricing through economies of scale
- Personalized attention from store staff who can show the collection and facilitate online purchases via tablets when needed
The psychology behind why this works (and why your customers will love you for it)
Here’s what Mango understood that most brands miss: the emotional experience of shopping matters just as much as the product itself.
When you segregate customers, you’re sending a message: “You’re different, and different is harder.” When you integrate, you’re saying: “you’re our customer, period.”
For 67% of women, Mango transformed shopping from this awkward, limited, expensive experience into something normal. They didn’t make a big deal about inclusivity; they just included everyone.
That’s the kind of move that builds fierce loyalty.
What this means for your CX strategy (regardless of your industry)
This isn’t just about fashion. This is about understanding who your customers actually are versus who you think they are.
Ask yourself:
- Are you designing experiences for your actual customers or your ideal customers?
- Are you making your top customer segments jump through extra hoops?
- Are you charging them more for the privilege of being served?
- Are you treating them like they’re the exception when, in fact, they’re the norm?
The integration blueprint that works
Mango’s success comes down to six strategic moves that any brand can adopt:
Economic accessibility: Stop charging your most significant segments more just because you can. Use scale to serve them better, not penalize them.
Technical expertise: Invest in understanding what your underserved customers need. Don’t just modify what works for others.
Marketing normalization: Stop making a big deal about serving your actual customers. Just serve them well.
Omnichannel consistency: No separate experiences, no special sections, no making people feel different.
Staff enablement: Train your team to serve everyone without making it weird or awkward.
Statistical alignment: Serve your actual demographics, not your fantasy ones.
The opportunity you’re probably missing
Here’s the thing: Mango isn’t targeting a niche market. They’re serving the statistical mainstream while everyone else fights over the 33% who wear smaller sizes.
This is like discovering that most of your customers prefer chocolate ice cream while you’ve been exclusively stocking vanilla because it looks better in photos.
The global market for what used to be called “plus-size” fashion is projected to hit $600 billion by 2032. But here’s the real insight: it’s not plus-size at all. It’s just size. It’s the size that most people are.
Here’s what matters for your business
Mango’s transformation proves a crucial point: integration outperforms segregation, both in terms of customer psychology and business results.
When you stop treating your major customer segments as special cases and start treating them as your actual customers, everything changes. Your operations become more efficient, your customers become more loyal, and you tap into markets your competitors are ignoring.
The fashion industry spent decades chasing a customer who barely exists while ignoring the customer who’s been there all along. Don’t make the same mistake in your industry.
The truth is: A huge opportunity might be hiding in plain sight, disguised as the customers you’ve been overlooking because you thought they weren’t your “ideal” demographic.
Stop designing for who you wish your customers were. Start designing for who they are.