Are digital try-ons the future of e-commerce?

In recent years fashion retailers have been forced to invest in e-commerce. This was inevitable, yet massive lockdowns accelerated the change. E-retail, despite the fact that it allows you to reach a large number of customers, is full of challenges.

Online shopping vs. brick and mortar

When shopping online, consumers have a very limited ability to interact with the product, which leads to lower conversion and higher return rate. In brick and mortar stores they are able to try-on clothes, but also see and touch the material of which the garment is made. No matter how much they zoom-in, they can’t achieve the same level of user experience when shopping online.

According to the research we conducted with Marie Zelie, 64% of consumers returned clothes bought online because they did not fit. This leads to even 10% loss for business and generates 5 times more carbon dioxide than the purchase. Even though the price is high, there’s not much more that e-commerce can do with 2D content, especially that it does not allow any visualization on clients’ silhouette.

Virtual try-ons

Therefore, it is important to implement tools that can offer consumers a more personalized user experience, similar to brick-and-mortar stores. One of them is a virtual fitting room. How to try-on clothes online? They need to be visualized at customers' silhouettes, but not only as a picture. Consumers should be able to make sure how the item fits them, where it’s too tight and where it’s too loose. They should also have an accurate answer about sizing. It’s not only about body dimensions versus size charts - virtual fitting rooms should consider the size of individual patterns.

This type of technology can improve sales and decrease return rate by even 20%. It’s going to be one of the must haves in e-commerce in a few years. Virtual fitting room market value will reach $15 b in 2028, so it’s an emerging technology worth investing in.

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