Since the days when I studied Japanese at university I have been a great admirer of Japan’s business acumen.  So when UNIQLO opened up some clothing stores in Australia I was very pleased.

You can imagine my disappointment when year after year, UNIQLO fails to cater for Australian sizes.

It is well known that average Australians are not thin.  The average size has been growing so that many Aussies are now about a size 16 or Medium to Large.

However,  when one enters a UNIQLO store all the larger sizes have disappeared and the only sizes still left are S for small or XS for extra small. These sizes would be more appropriate for the Japanese customers. When I asked the very pleasant attendants why there are only tiny sizes left they actually admitted that the larger sizes always sell out immediately.

Today they even admitted that this is a frequent complaint from potential customers.

So shouldn’t this be a lesson for the bosses at UNIQLO?

The first lesson in marketing is  “Learn who your customers are.”  The second lesson is “Cater to the market.”

In my opinion,  UNIQLO would be much more successful if it remembered that Aussie customers are not the same shape as Japanese customers.

We would love to enjoy the excellent products provided by UNIQLO if only they would fit.