Business Value of Fashion Models

Last registered on January 30, 2023

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Business Value of Fashion Models
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0010637
Initial registration date
December 13, 2022

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
January 03, 2023, 4:05 PM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated
January 30, 2023, 10:03 PM EST

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
University of Washington

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
PI Affiliation
Carnegie Mellon University

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2022-12-13
End date
2023-03-13
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract

Photos of models are the biggest source of information available to online shoppers. We study if showing representative fashion models on retail platforms has any effect on users. Do customers care that the platforms are trying to be inclusive? We partnered with an apparel rental company to run a field experiment. The onboarding process for this subscription service requires new users to fill out a “style quiz” where they indicate their style preferences and then input their sizes. Our treatment will happen immediately after this step. On the next page, we will show them photos of a model on an image carousel. We will have four treatments: a) where the model is the closest to their size b) just the small-sized model c) only plus-sized models d)status-quo. We will measure subscription and user engagement on the platform as outcomes.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Agarwal, Saharsh, Uttara Ananthakrishnan and Ananya Sen. 2023. "Business Value of Fashion Models." AEA RCT Registry. January 30. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.10637-1.1
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2022-12-13
Intervention End Date
2023-03-13

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Subscription Rate, Customer Engagement
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We study how showing models of different sizes impacts users' subscription and engagement on the platform.
Experimental Design Details
The onboarding process for the firm we are partnering with requires new users to fill out a quiz where they indicate their style preferences and then input their sizes.

Our treatment will happen immediately after this step. On the next page, we will show them photos of a model on an image carousel. We will have four treatments: a) where the model is the closest to their size b) just the small-sized model c) only plus-sized models. d) status quo - no model is shown but just information about the service. We will measure subscription and user engagement on the platform as outcomes.

We know the size that each user inputs and we can compare that with the size of the model shown to them to create pairs between focal users and the corresponding model shown to them.

Randomization Method
Randomization done by a computer at the backend using a A/B test infrastructure
Randomization Unit
individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
We expect 4000 individuals or more
Sample size: planned number of observations
We expect 4000 individuals or more
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
We expect a balanced number of individuals across different treatment arms.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Washington - Human Subjects Division
IRB Approval Date
2022-05-04
IRB Approval Number
STUDY00015573

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials