Online retailer Asos has invested in virtual technology that could increase customer satisfaction and reduce returns.
The British fashion retailer has partnered with Israeli startup Zeekit to show what products look like on a range of body types.
Rather than shoot the items using multiple models, which would be a costly and time consuming process, Zeekit uses augmented reality (AR) to superimpose the clothing onto different bodies.
It is able to ‘map’ items onto an image, accounting for body dimensions, fit, and the fabric of the garment.
Asos is already well-known for its successful plus size line, Asos Curve, and made headlines earlier this year when it stopped editing its models’ stretchmarks. Showing its products on different body shapes is a logical next step for the company, and also a possibly lucrative one.
Image via Zeekit.
According to research commissioned by the UK’s Royal Mail in 2016, one in 10 online shoppers (12 per cent) have returned an e-commerce purchase because it looked different to the pictures, while 36 per cent sent things back because the items didn’t fit.
Asos said in a statement it is always looking for ways to improve the customer experience.
“In this case, we’re experimenting with AR to show product on different sized models, so customers can get a better sense of how something might fit their body shape,” Asos said.
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