Virtual mannequins!
I never buy clothes online. I rarely buy them in a store, for that matter, but I never buy them online. Why? Because even when buying in a store, everyone seems to size things differently. A small from one brand might fit, whereas the medium for another does the same. There’s even a few larges in my closet.
Many people do buy online, however, and those sites that sell clothes know they have to have a good return policy in case the garment isn’t what someone expected, especially in terms of size. If they don’t, word will spread and they’ll lose customers fast.
Well, problem solved! Over there on the BBC is a story about a new technology called fits.me that allows you to enter your dimensions and specifications, and it then creates a virtual you, otherwise know as an avatar; that movie title was no accident! When paired with a linked retailer, you can virtually try on the clothes to see how they will look on you specifically, and decide whether you want to order them.
This is not new; similar technology has been around for longer than ten years. It has never quite achieved a foothold, which is surprising considering – as the article states – one in four garments are returned because of a wrong size.
I’ll say it again; I’m surprised it has taken so long for this kind of thing to become more prevalent, especially considering that online retail is so prevalent that it is impacting retail sales and causing a shift in the retail landscape. But it never will for clothing unless this takes off.
