RWRetailWire
Back to Discussions
DISCUSSION

NRF: Technologies promise to reshape fitting rooms

Written by Tom Ryan

Source: StoreAdvise

Using everything from artificial intelligence to RFID tags and augmented reality, retailers and their tech partners are introducing out a bunch of solutions to reinvent the fitting room experience. At the NRF Big Show, American Eagle unveiled fitting room technology that has been rolled out inside its flagships. Shoppers scan items on an iOS-based device to see and request other available sizes and styles, receive product recommendations, view running cart totals and e-mail information to themselves or potential gift givers — all without leaving the fitting room. Store associates receive notifications and deliver any other items the shopper wants to try on. Adore Me, the online lingerie brand that is opening its first stores, is taking advantage of RFID for its first fitting rooms. Shoppers inside Adore Me’s rooms interact with associates in real time to request other options using a smart display. RFID sensors recognize the items without the need for scanning. Having RFID tags also sheds light on which SKUs were tried on and purchased. The data informs which sizes or styles can be reduced or eliminated. Last July, Alibaba piloted its first "FashionAI" concept store that featured smart mirrors cued by RFID to show product information on apparel that shoppers picked up. Customers then headed to the dressing room and associates brought the selected items they wanted to try on. Further, online fitting technologies are finding their ways to stores. For instance, some online sites enable shoppers to create a personalized 3D avatar of themselves by either entering their body measurement or taking a full body scan. They can then use the avatar to assure fit and to see how clothes look on them. With mobile devices, the shopper can in some cases bring the avatar with them to a physical store. By scanning a barcode of an item, shoppers can use the avatar to try on clothes on their mobile devices. Another new similar solution enables shoppers to stand in front of a mirror and have their body size measured. They then use hand gestures to flip through a digital catalog to virtually see how numerous apparel items might look on them.

Discussion Thread0