As of: March 22, 2024, 10:45 p.m
By: Anna-Lena Kiegerl
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Returns in online retail are particularly high when it comes to clothing.
A “virtual wardrobe” is now intended to solve this problem.
Munich – Online shopping is extremely popular – despite numerous warnings about fake shops.
Without leaving the house, any product can be ordered and delivered to your doorstep.
Whether it's clothing, books or even food, there are no limits to the type of products.
The problem: Returning these products is just as popular.
Returns are particularly high when it comes to clothing.
In addition to the poor carbon footprint, this is also an enormous cost factor for companies.
Trying on directly online: New tool aims to prevent flood of returns
A tool from Hof University is now intended to stop the flood of returns.
An online demonstrator will make it possible to try things on directly online.
Customers should be able to make as precise a pre-selection as possible in terms of fit, size and taste before ordering.
Very similar to how they would do it live in the fitting room at the store.
Returns can also incur costs for consumers and are also complex.
© Imago/Michael Gstettenbauer
The customer's current camera image as well as images of the items in different poses are used for this.
“The only thing that cannot be represented here is the tactile experience of the material or the feeling of wearing it,” explains project manager Christian Groth from the Institute for Information Systems at the Upper Franconian university.
According to the project manager, it is possible to virtually adapt a photorealistic and size-correct representation of the selected item of clothing to the customer.
New tool for trying on clothes online: “You can see whether the sleeves are too long, for example.”
The problem with current computer models is that the items of clothing always fit perfectly.
In reality there would be disappointment if it didn't fit.
However, with the tool from Hof, trying things on is more precise: “You can see whether the sleeves are too long, for example.” All you have to do is specify the overall body size in addition to the picture.
The rest is then calculated, explains Groth.
Consumer and Retailer Savings from Tool: High volume of returned clothing
The tool will be published as open source software and will primarily support small and medium-sized companies.
There are currently great efforts in online retail to reduce the number of returns because of the high financial resources involved.
And returns are also becoming time-consuming and increasingly costly for consumers, as many retailers now charge costs for returns.
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According to a study published in December by the retail research institute EHI, the costs for the retailer amount to an average of five to ten euros per returned item.
And the amount of products returned is immense, especially clothing.
According to EHI, return rates for fashion are between 26 and 50 percent.
“Trying on” directly online could save a lot of returns.
However, problems can also arise when shopping online.
For this reason, consumers should know their rights in these cases.
Low-cost providers such as Temu or Shein are particularly popular, but there are also risks lurking there.