- The Canadian retail brand Aritzia has gained staggering success in recent years.
- It has generated buzz on TikTok via videos that comment on its mirrorless dressing rooms.
- A retail expert talked to Insider about the strategy behind this decision.
While the Canadian retailer Aritzia has been around for nearly 40 years, it has only recently become more of a household name, at least among many Gen Zers and millennials.
In fact, Gen Zers increased their spending by 27% at Aritzia from January through June this year, according to Earnest Analytics.
But as the brand has grown, its critics have, too. It has been accused of a lack of size inclusivity and diversity of hires. On social media, though, the biggest issue seems to be the retailer’s mirrorless fitting rooms.
Customers at one of Aritzia’s 118 stores must step out of their dressing rooms and into a communal space to survey their outfits in a mirror. The communal space is staffed with Aritzia’s “style advisors,” the retailer’s term for sales associates, ready to give styling advice and determine sizing.
“Hey, babe, can I get a mirrorless fitting room started for you?” the comedian Becca Bastos says in a TikTok skit where she plays an Aritzia style advisor. In her video, which gained over 1 million views, the Aritzia communal space is rife with eager sales associates and crowded with boyfriends lounging on couches — overall, it’s anxiety-inducing.
On TikTok, users describe Aritzia’s ‘fitting-room trauma’
“It’s so easy to make fun of, but it’s a very common thing that people who shop at Aritzia say they can’t believe there are no mirrors,” Bastos, 27, told Insider. “It adds a layer of stress and makes you a little nervous to go into the communal part.”
One TikToker wrote: “Trying on bodysuits and sports bras at Aritzia in front of all the men waiting and their size 0 girlfriends is not for the weak.”
A Reddit commenter wrote that Aritzia’s changing-room setup meant “you have to come out and air all your body insecurities to everyone.”
Another TikToker documented her shopping trip and what she called Aritzia’s “fitting-room trauma.” But she ends up saying “shout-out to the honest employee” who advised her that a bodysuit was too short on her.
There’s even advice circulating online on how to avoid the communal room — some TikTokers suggest using your phone’s front camera as a mirror.
Even Bastos, who said she was impressed by Aritzia’s sales associates, acknowledged using her phone camera as a mirror and said her friends often used this approach as well.
Aritzia’s communal fitting rooms are part of the brand’s DNA
So why make customers go through this awkwardness?
Aritzia’s mirrorless approach ultimately speaks to a decision the brand has made for the customers, Manini Madia, an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School and expert in consumer shopper behavior, told Insider. By trading in the personal dressing-room mirrors for a communal mirror, Aritzia is assuming “people don’t know what looks good on them and they need the help of an expert,” Madia said.
“Not having the mirrors can be intimidating, especially for a younger shopper,” Madia said. “It’s on the style advisors to make their shoppers feel comfortable.”
Aritzia’s extra assistance is not unlike the experience shoppers get at higher-fashion retailers. The brand does pride itself on being an affordable luxury retailer, after all. Madia pointed to Bergdorf Goodman, a luxury fashion department store whose in-store experiences are teeming with knowledgeable sales associates, personal shoppers, in-store tailors, and, notably, personal dressing-room mirrors.
Aritzia’s mirrorless fitting rooms go against a growing trend in retail.
Many other brands have taken the opposing, hands-off route: Rag & Bone, J.Crew, and Abercrombie & Fitch have enhanced their dressing-room experiences by giving customers more control over their in-store experiences, including the ability to adjust the lighting in the dressing room or flip a switch to call for an associate’s help.
For Aritzia, mirrorless rooms are part of its DNA.
“Aritzia’s communal fitting room approach has been a core component of the ‘Everyday Luxury’ experience we’ve offered to our clients for almost 40 years,” an Aritzia spokesperson wrote in a statement. “The communal dressing room mirrors are designed to allow our clients to optimally view and decide on their preferred looks with the assistance of our style advisors. In this communal setting, clients receive helpful insight on our product offerings — including details on fit and styling possibilities.”
For customers who want additional privacy, all Aritzia stores do have a fitting room with a private mirror upon request, Aritzia said.
While Aritzia’s mirrorless rooms have seen pushback on social media, “having a trained sales associate who can help a consumer in a store might lead to a bigger sale than a consumer might make on their own in an e-commerce environment,” Madia said.
Aritzia’s in-store sales increased 53% this year, according to the retailer’s financial report for fiscal 2023. In-store sales still account for 65% of Aritzia’s revenue, compared with e-commerce sales.
And with coffee bars and even the occasional video-game console to entertain shoppers, the retailer continues to invest in experiential services for its shoppers.
Even Bastos, the TikToker who parodied a trip to Aritzia, is still a committed Aritzia shopper.
“The associates do really hype you up there, and I do feel like it is a boost of confidence when they tell you: ‘You look great in those Effortless pants,’ or, ‘You look great in that corset,’ Bastos said. “The fitting-room experience stresses me out still, but I’ve overlooked it.”
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