Wednesday, May 13, 2009

The Business of Being Tall

When I was in Jr. High in the 80's, there were no businesses that focused on tall women. Men had a few options, but even they were under represented. Now, there are many more options, but I think business catering to tall people is still in its infancy. Just look in my side bar to see some businesses I've called out. I'll continue adding more. One thing I have noticed is that the big department stores are starting to add 'long' or 'tall' sections to the clothing area for women. This is a great sign.

Clothing appears to be the most mature area for tall business, some other areas where I think there will be growth (and thus opportunity for anyone who may be interested in catering to tall people and women in particular):

  • Auto: More headroom, extra leg room (front and back)
  • Travel: More options for extra leg room on flights, more options for hotel rooms with higher shower heads and longer beds, bike rentals that include extra long seats and frames
  • Home Items: Shower head extenders that look nice (for those who can't open their wall and re-do their shower), higher counter top options for bathrooms and kitchens, a way to make a doorway higher without taking away structural integrity
  • Shoes: CUTE SHOES that are not 5 INCHES HIGH. I love heels, but do wish there was more to choose from in the 1.5 - 2" range. There must be some great shoe designers out there who can help a tall girl out.
Okay, I admit, the shoes are clothing, technically... but I don't really put them in the same category. :-)

This list is very short, but is a high level look an issue that I think will spawn many new business over the next 5-10 years. Especially as we are seeing the population get taller, in general.

What are some ideas you have about this? What things do you want in your daily life that you find it hard to get now?
Posted by tallgirl at 7:27 PM
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2 comments:

  1. jheriMay 14, 2009 at 6:15 AM

    There are more solutions where the issues are unisex because there will be more customers, but many manufacturers try to serve just the 5 to 95% part of the population to keep costs down.

    I fly a lot on business and was able to argue I do not fit well into economy seats, so my business has agreed to fly me business class. Some airlines allow you to buy extra legroom in economy and that works too. A few hotel chains have "tall" rooms, but that is rare.

    The problem with any of this is the market size. Unisex goods will do much better than things just for women because the market is so much larger.

    I put my chopping block on a box so my back wouldn't hurt as much. A friend of mine started thinking about this for a mutual friend who is even taller (she is 6'7) and he wrote some blog posts on the subject you might like:

    http://tingilinde.typepad.com/starstuff/2008/12/the-.html

    http://tingilinde.typepad.com/starstuff/2008/12/more-on-high-design.html

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  2. tallgirlMay 14, 2009 at 9:56 AM

    Hi jheri. Thanks for the comment. There is definitely a higher volume of business for those focused on the broader population of tall persons.

    I do think that the 'tall woman market', while definitely niche, is growing and will be an opportunity for new business. I know I and all of my tall women friends, would patronize a business where we would be assured we could find something.

    I'm pulling together market data for a future post that goes more in depth on this topic. I'm encouraged by the fact that large corporations are creating 'tall' and 'long' areas in their stores (if only online for now). These types of companies won't do anything until there are stats that prove the market exists.

    I enjoyed reading the blog posts you included, BTW.

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