By ELLEN LEWIS
I’ve spoken to loads of specialty stores during this Covid catastrophe. We’ve chatted (and still are) about the enormous efforts made within the Lingerie community to stay connected, relevant, above water and appreciated. We’ve discussed finances, vendor relations, customer succor, lessons learned, lessons discarded, fears, hopes, expectations. The conversation continues daily. There were many hero brands identified, each with their own story of support, each worthy of recognition for their extraordinary client care. The stores have been very thankful for their enterprise.
Cosabella came up in almost every conversation I had. It was not just that their soft comfy bralettes were/are center stage, it was also about their out of the box thinking as they assisted stores on line. Couple this with their laser sharp focus on how to elevate a best-selling commodity to another level of retail success. Thus, this post zeros in on the ever-evolving Sweetie bralette, a 15-year-old mainstay of the Cosabella collective.
The Sweetie bralette began its Cosabella journey in 2005, long before it was de riguer to promote a bralette business. Originally satisfying a S-XL woman, it became an integral component of the Never Say Never platform. Then came a cropped option (28-40, D-H), color innovation (think glow), nursing and maternity versions, padding, extended sizes to 3X, petites PS-PL, fuller cups with smaller bands, and coming soon smaller cups with bigger bands.
Expanding a key item to exploit sales potential is an age-old merchandising ploy. Doing it to embrace feminine individuality is not as common, but it is smart. So is listening to customer requests. We are at a crossroads where maximizing potential while minimizing risk requires introspection and insight. With Sweetie, Cosabella is right on que.
“Don’t Find Customers For Your Products, Find Products For Your Customers” Seth Godin
