( CNN ) -- It 's a woman 's most intimate piece of apparel and many women will admit that shopping for one can be a nightmare . One company is using technology to take the guess work out of buying the perfect bra . Michelle Lam and her company , True & Co , are using data to build a better bra in a smarter way . Lam , founder of the San Francisco-based company which launched in 2012 , spoke to Smart Business about how to avoid awkward fittings . CNN : How does your online bra fitting service work ? Michelle Lam : A True & Co woman comes to the site and she actually takes a very simple quiz with illustrations . We ask questions , like what is the shape of your breast , what size bra do you currently wear . While she 's going through that , our algorithm and technology is doing a bunch of really complicated things behind the scenes , drumming up the exact recommendations and best matches for this woman . As soon as she reaches what we call her 'personal shop ' , all she sees are the sizes and styles of bras that are the best match for her . She then orders her bras from us and can try them on at home . And then , we collect even more data from her when she tells us which she likes and fit her best , and which she 's going to return . The fit quiz is our way to size women into the perfect bra for them , without any measuring tape , any photos , or any fitting rooms . CNN : More than 1 million women have taken the fit quiz . What has your data found ? ML : We translate the data into a 'true spectrum ' -- a way for women to understand the results of their quiz . When we looked at 22 million pieces of data about a woman 's body and her life , we discovered something really extraordinary . First of all , we were expecting a couple of hundred different body types . We actually found over 6,000 different body types , each nuanced and each different in a unique way . The fit quiz and algorithm successfully fits eight in 10 women . CNN : Some women may have concerns about buying something as personal as a bra online . How will you remove the risk factor ? ML : After a woman 's first purchase , we may not get it right the first time . We may only get one in five right , or two in five right . And she may keep those . But she 'll tell us what did n't work about the other ones she returned . And of course , we do free shipping and free returns , so that ensures that the whole equation is risk-free . We take that data from her and we actually refine the selections in her shop , so that her recommendations get better and better throughout time . CNN : How can your service change the way we shop ? ML : What we 're doing with the algorithm and the data is a complete innovation in the intimate apparel space . And intimate apparel is a massive market . But what we 're actually doing can be applied to all of apparel and in fact all of shopping . We 're not just telling you how many blue bras have been sold , which is what old retail would do . We 're doing something completely different and new . We 're telling you who is buying that blue bra and not only that , but why they 're buying the bra . We 're in the business of deciphering what women want , and when you know what women want , you can actually change all of shopping . WATCH : Bra helps fight cancer .
True & Co are using data-driven technology to make tailor-made bras for women . Customers fill out an online quiz , which generates a 'personal shop ' full of suitable choices . Company founder Michelle Lam believes the service can shape the future of retail .