For years, there have been rumours that some ready-to-wear stores manipulate their customers by installing slimming mirrors, with the aim of inciting people to buy by showing them an improved image of themselves. An urban legend or reality? Whilst the rumour exists, up to now there had been no proof to confirm or refute it.
However, the American company, The Skinny Mirror, closed the debate by launching its range of slimming mirrors in 2012. When you look in the mirror, you don't see your own reflection, but a taller and slimmer version, losing between 2 and 4.5 kilos. The Californian company explains on its site that "Skinny Mirror boosts confidence and improves self-image". According to its concept, looking at a slimmer image helps you slim more confidently.
Whilst destined firstly for individuals, The Skinny Mirror also has versions suitable for stores, to be installed in fitting rooms. As a complement to the self-image discourse for general public versions, the company claims that this type of customer-improving mirror is an additional lever to increase the average value per purchase. To prove its claims, it recently tested its concept with 86 women in a popular Swedish underwear retailer.
It indicated in a press release that women who tried on the clothing in front of a Skinny Mirror "had a more positive attitude towards their body and purchased more of the items tried on compared to those exposed to a normal mirror".
*Photo from The Skinny Mirror website: http://theskinnymirrors.com/
News in the same category
From London to Canberra, passing by Paris and Ottawa, consumer associations have begun protest campaigns to reduce the tax applied to sanitary towels, tampons, menstrual cups and other sanitary protection.
McDonalds has announced it is set to replace its plastic straws with environmentally friendly paper straws in all of its stores within the UK and Ireland.
The very first Poudland store opened in December 1990, in Burton-upon-Trent. Now the discount retailer counts about 550 stores, for the UK only. It entered the stock market in March 2014. And just passed the £1 billion sales mark.
To support dairy farmers in the UK, Morrisons launched a Milk For Farmers range this autumn. The supermarket is now taking a further step and raises its milk prices a little bit more.
