What is the most frequent reason of shopping cart abandonment or return of the clothing purchased online? Buying of apparel at the web store always makes customers question their choice and even send things back after trying on because of the poor fit. According to statistics, return rate of the average online clothing retailer may exceed 20%. Most of the rollbacks occur due to the customers’ discontent of how the item actually looks on them.
From distant times of the first e-commercial stores, their owners and developers make everything possible to abate the level of returns by means of various tools like size charts, zoom and 360 degree shots, helping shoppers make deliberate decisions.
These days more and more e-retailers begin to make use of augmented reality, which lets them simulate a kind of virtual fitting room, where customers may try on the selected items, change them for recommended ones and share their experience with friends in order to get instant feedback. As you understand, all those actions are taken without leaving house.
There are some awesome solutions on the software market now. They let the merchants increase their conversion rates and reduce returns. Some of them require a webcam as they use real person’s image and some need only user’s measurements, such as height, weight, bust, hip and waist sizes to build a virtual model of a shopper. This approach lets the buyers see if this or that item fits before the purchase, which indubitably allows to convince hesitant customers.
Of course, the technology has either cynical or optimistic reviews. Its opponents assert that the software is far from perfect and unable to influence sale and return rates. Vice versa, the adherents of augmented reality believe in its great future and necessity for further perfection.
Howbeit, some progressive brands prefer to be up-to-date and incorporate the technology into their stores. Below you will find several examples of e-commercial websites offering customers to try on clothes in their virtual fitting rooms. Much more brands like Adidas, L.K. Bennett, Nicole Farhi and Superdry have also signed up for the service. We hope their experience will let you make your own estimation on whether the innovation is really able to make e-commerce more profitable and user-friendly.
* * *
Quiz
The website offers the visitors to create a virtual model inserting their parameters of face type, length, weight, bra size, under-bust, waist and hips with the help of simple scroll bars. Then, the buyers may try on the items they like and combine them with stylish accessories.
* * *
Brides
Brides gives users the possibility to choose from default models which suit their body type best or upload their own photos and experiment with wedding dresses, hairstyles and makeup. Here the simulation tool developed by ModiFace is used. The technology features a body-remapping system that conforms a dress to the user’s body shape, posture, and weight. The customers can save their favorite looks in the “album” and share them via social media networks and email.
* * *
Continue reading →
