Revealed: Plus-size models sell more lingerie than slim models – and brunettes sell more than blondes

Research reveals that in the world of bras, the bigger the better.

Monday 23 March 2015 14:01 EDT

Plus-size lingerie collection from Adore Me (adoreme.com)

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The New York-based lingerie brand Adore Me has revealed plus-size brunette models are likely to sell more underwear than slimmer blonde models.

The research was based on three TV adverts launched in January: one featuring blonde models, another brunette models and the third one a plus-size brunette model. Then they applied a common marketing strategy, A/B testing, in which consumers are shown different ads in order to measure their buying habits and preferences.

Plus-size model from Adore Me website (adoreme.com)

The unexpected result was that the plus-size brunette model generated four times as many sales as the ad featuring blonde models.

“There’s an overall mentality that you have to be super skinny… We are showing that we offer lingerie for everyone,” Morgan Hermand-Waiche, founder of Adore Me, told CNN.

The three-year-old start up offers bra sizes ranging between 30A to 44G -far wider than other lingerie giants such as Victoria’s Secret and La Senza, which both only offer up to 38DD.

A spokesperson of the brand told The Independent: "Unlike other leading lingerie brands, Adore Me believes every woman, at every dress size, deserves fashionable lingerie that makes her feel sexy, confident and beautiful. That’s why our styles range from sizes 30A-44G – a size range twice more inclusive than any of our competition."

"We very proudly feature our stunning plus-size model in many of our campaigns, including our recent national TV ad campaign. We were happy to see that featuring a plus size model in an ad quadrupled sales. The amount and quality of traffic clearly showed that plus size models resonate with women of all sizes and boost sales across the board, and not just in the plus-size line."

But more than just the size of the model, it’s the hair colour that also influences the product sales, as the research also revealed that bodacious brunettes do generate more sales than blondes.

“Brunettes overall sell better than blondes… Our customers — and women in general — prefer brunettes when it comes to purchasing lingerie. It’s what we’ve seen,” Hermand-Waiche added.

According to Adore Me, retouched photos of fit lingerie models actually don’t translate into sales, as many brands believe so. It is actually the opposite – shoppers prefer realistic curvy figures.