The Curvy Coach

The plus size community is really more of a psycho-graphic community that focuses on values, lifestyle, and common interests than it is demographic. I mean, just look around and it won’t be long before you see someone who’s considered plus-sized. Nonetheless, in order to tap into the essence of the plus size market, you have to build deeper relationships with your network and customer base compared to other markets.

This is where you as a business owner determine why do they buy your products and services, what influences their behavior, why do they respond differently to certain types of plus size related messages. A great example of this is how many plus size women felt offended by the seemingly depressed and desperate women that were a part of the “More to Love” reality show. Some felt like they could absolutely relate, some were happy to see real sized women on TV, and some were absolutely disgusted that plus size women were being represented in such manner.

How can you use this type of knowledge to better understand the plus size consumer? If you know your target market wants to feel empowered, how can you incorporate those feelings into the way you market and advertise your products and services? For example, if you sell plus sized clothing, would you advertise size 2 models? What if you were selling gastric by pass surgery? How would that change your campaign?

Emotions play a big role in many of our buying behaviors and it’s no different when it comes to the plus sized consumer. For example, just about every woman wants to feel comfortable in their skin and be empowered to live out their dreams right? Those particular emotions really resonates with the plus size community today and it’s one of the reasons that the term ‘empowerment’ is heard time and time again at many plus size gatherings or social events.

Taking the time out truly understand who your customer is and how they respond to your promotions can play a major role in your sales conversions. It also helps you to better relate to the attitude and mindset of your customers which can increase your customer retention rates as well. It’s great to focus on the demographics of your business, but really tapping into the psychographic nature of your market is a critical part of the plus size business industry.

P.S. How do you use psycho-graphic data to better understand your target market? Share your thoughts below!