• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, August 3, 2009

Lane Bryant, the company that wrote the book on plus-sized clothing for women, is hoping that an online community can help reverse its shrinking sales trends.

"Inside Curve," which it describes as "an ambitious social community," is available now through the Lane Bryant site. The company, already active on both Facebook and Twitter, says the new site will allow for more interaction, with members able to access "up-to-the-minute insight on style, trends and behind-the-scenes features."

The company wants to put the emphasis on fashion, not size. "We're hoping to provide a forum for women who are interested in fashion, who happen to be size 14 and above," Jay Dunn, VP/marketing, tells Marketing Daily. "We want to give them a place to get closer to the brand -- inside the brand, so to speak."

According to the latest statistics, the plus-sized niche is growing fast. In January, a leading medical journal reported that given the rate of increase in obesity and overweight, 86.3% of Americans will be overweight or obese by 2030.

The company, owned by Charming Shoppes, says the site will also give women exclusive member savings and promotions, and is hoping it will bring in new customers, as well as those it may have lost over the years.

"There are a lot of consumers who may have dated perceptions about what the Lane Bryant brand stands for, and this is an opportunity to bring in not just a younger customer, but an Internet-savvy customer," he says. "She can get closer to the brand to see what we're all about. There's obviously been big changes over the last couple of years."

The company says it also hopes that the site will allow them to ask questions, and use that feedback to improve its product offerings.

The Bensalem, Pa.-based firm, which also owns Fashion Bug and Catherines, has been beset by the slumping sales trends that are plaguing most specialty retailers. In May, it released its most recent quarterly results, posting a 13% decline in same-store sales. At that time, the company termed its results disappointing, and said that among other things, it was taking a closer look at its marketing efforts.

Dunn says efforts like "Inside Curve" are "an evolving but important part of our marketing and customer-relationship management mix."