When I was doing my qualitative research for my plus-size clothing blog entry that was published earlier this month, I literally could not find a single plus size person at the mall. I went to Torrid, a trendy plus-size store, and found no one shopping in the store. I then went to the plus-size department at Nordstrom and found one person browsing on the outskirts of the plus-size department.

Perhaps one reason I couldn’t find anyone to interview is because 68% of plus-size people shop mostly online. The reason plus-size people prefer online shopping is because of the instant availability of plus-size options, which cuts shopping time significantly. (Source: https://www.bustle.com/p/we-talked-to-88-plus-size-shoppers-about-buying-clothes-tbh-they-hate-your-damn-sizing-guide-9947584 )

If the plus-size industry is $20 billion and 68% of plus-size people shop mostly online, the online plus-size potential is $13.6 billion.