When it comes to online clothes shopping, we all know the tricks of the trade. Perfectly sculpted models, studio lighting and a few well-placed clothing pins can make any garment look like the season’s ‘must-have’.
But then it arrives, and all your expectations are dashed by a lacklustre outfit that reminds you of an ill-fitting bedsheet. It’s enough to put you off online clothes shopping altogether, and you wouldn’t be alone. That’s why increasing numbers of fashion retailers are turning to virtual fitting rooms to drastically improve their customers’ online shopping experiences.
Exactly as the name suggests, virtual fitting room technology seeks to improve the consumer experience for size and fitting – said to be one of the biggest challenges for online retailers and a barrier to shopping online. According to a report by Walker Sands, as many as 35 per cent of customers said they would shop more online if they could try items on virtually.
How does it work?
Virtual fitting rooms enable customers to try on clothes for size, fit and style using a custom online avatar of the customer’s physical body. A virtual fitting requires the customer to enter their height, weight, bra size, waist and hip measurements, among other personal attributes.
From here, customers can dress their avatar in any of the retailer’s garments giving them an accurate view of how the clothing items will look and fit before placing the order and committing the cash. And there are already a few software companies offering the service including Virtusize, Fits.me and True Fit.
It really does work
In an Australian-first, fashion retailer, Princess Polly, recently launched its new ‘Try On’ feature using virtual fitting room technology from UK-based company, Metail. In addition to standard measurements, Princess Polly customers can even enter their skin tone and hair type to see a true reflection of how their garment will suit their style, as well as fit.
Wez Bryett, co-CEO of Princess Polly told internetretailing.com.au that customer behaviour has changed since the Try On feature was launched. Bryett says revenue per visit has risen by as much as 31 per cent and customers using the site are spending 3.5 times longer on the site. And there’s clearly an appetite out there for the feature. As many as 30,000 avatars have been created on the site within the two weeks post-launch.
Where to from here?
With poor fit and inadequate communication of size being blamed for the loss of many potential online sales, virtual fitting room technology offers a clear pathway to the future for the online clothing sector.
Why? Because unlike other retail sectors, their bricks-and-mortar counterparts still hold one very important trump card – the ability to try on for size. With this technology, potential online shoppers won’t baulk at the risk of ill-fitting clothes or inconvenient returns – and they won’t turn to bricks-and-mortar as the ‘safer bet’.
But perhaps there’s much more to come. Perhaps the online retail sector will eventually do better than match the bricks-and-mortar consumer experience. Could we be looking at a future where (virtual) personal shoppers are available to everyone – not just celebrities?