Their menswear collection looks to be trying to compete with Banana Republic and JCrew, at least price wise. I took a look at their "experimental" women's line, AYR, and it's just... I mean maybe I'm not their target demographic but for $125 I can purchase some incredible pants at Nordstrom and actually try them on in the store, not to mention have a great customer service experience and get them tailored in-house. Their women's line suffers from overly high prices for what the pieces are (simple stuff that I can buy at Ann Taylor or Loft or Nordstrom or JCrew or Banana Republic depending on my mood and what color I want it in), and the extremely narrow offering of sizes is straight up ridiculous at this point.
I'm not going to drop $150 on any clothing I buy online sight-unseen unless it's a brand I already know and trust. And yes, I can return it if I don't like it or if it doesn't fit but if I'm spending $500-1000 on clothes at a time (and at Bonobos that's two pants and two shirts plus a blazer) I don't want to go through that hassle, I want everything to be perfect the first time. I imagine that for most men their desired shopping experience is even more geared towards "I want to purchase the most adequate pair of pants the very first time and minimize the time I need to spend shopping."
I do have a few friends who live to shop but the vast majority of my friends, male and female alike, just want to buy things they like and have them work the first time around with a minimum of fuss.
Plus, if I'm going to spend that much money on clothes that I have never purchased before (and I consider $200-400 per outfit to be a significant outlay of money for clothes, which perhaps makes me an outlier) I want an experience to go with it. I want to see what I'm getting before I pay for it, and I would like the option to consult with a salesperson about the clothing. Their men's Americano and French Cuff dress shirts are in the same price range as the least expensive shirts from an awesome independent men's store close to my house (in the DC suburbs) and every time I've been in there to shop with my husband he's treated like a king by the staff, as is every other customer that comes through there regardless of how much they spend. Again, when I shop there I know damn well that whatever I buy is going to be the absolute top quality that it can be because the owner cares about his customers and doesn't sell anything he wouldn't buy or wear himself.
I'm not going to drop $150 on any clothing I buy online sight-unseen unless it's a brand I already know and trust. And yes, I can return it if I don't like it or if it doesn't fit but if I'm spending $500-1000 on clothes at a time (and at Bonobos that's two pants and two shirts plus a blazer) I don't want to go through that hassle, I want everything to be perfect the first time. I imagine that for most men their desired shopping experience is even more geared towards "I want to purchase the most adequate pair of pants the very first time and minimize the time I need to spend shopping."
I do have a few friends who live to shop but the vast majority of my friends, male and female alike, just want to buy things they like and have them work the first time around with a minimum of fuss.
Plus, if I'm going to spend that much money on clothes that I have never purchased before (and I consider $200-400 per outfit to be a significant outlay of money for clothes, which perhaps makes me an outlier) I want an experience to go with it. I want to see what I'm getting before I pay for it, and I would like the option to consult with a salesperson about the clothing. Their men's Americano and French Cuff dress shirts are in the same price range as the least expensive shirts from an awesome independent men's store close to my house (in the DC suburbs) and every time I've been in there to shop with my husband he's treated like a king by the staff, as is every other customer that comes through there regardless of how much they spend. Again, when I shop there I know damn well that whatever I buy is going to be the absolute top quality that it can be because the owner cares about his customers and doesn't sell anything he wouldn't buy or wear himself.