Measure clothes online?

Virtual dressing rooms are taking the fashion world by storm

Walmart adopts technologies for measuring clothes online and solves a built-in challenge in the way we buy clothes online

Ditza Kern

16/09/2022

Friday, September 16, 2022, 11:25 a.m. Updated: 11:56 a.m.

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Measuring clothes using virtual imaging. (Photo: Wallmart)

In 2022, online shopping has long been commonplace, but if there's one area where online shopping can be a real bummer, it's clothing and fashion.

According to a 2020 Habspot study, the percentage of merchandise returns in the clothing industry is the highest of all ecommerce categories and currently stands at more than 10%.

That is, one out of every ten items of clothing bought online are returned to the seller.

One can certainly understand why this happens, after all, the technology has not yet been invented that will allow us to feel the touch of the fabric on the skin, its weight, or the friction in different parts of the body to know if the item is comfortable and flatters us.

Until that happens, when it comes to e-commerce, the apparel industry has a distinct disadvantage.

Ecommerce merchants in the fashion industry are required to be very precise, both in the information they provide to their customers about the product and service, and in their financial calculations, in order to make sure they do not lose money on shipments and returns, which constitute a significant part of their expenses.

At the same time, most e-commerce sites still force us to be content with generic images of models, measure our body circumferences to compare them to the size chart, and all this just to know which size to buy, when the more basic information, how it will look on us, remains a mystery until we receive the the shipment and we can measure it.

All of these create a cumbersome customer experience that does not meet the customers' real need: to purchase clothes that flatter and are comfortable for them with peace of mind, without running to the post office every Monday and Thursday.

So what's new at Walmart?

It's been a while since the American retail giant Walmart has been researching innovative solutions with the aim of fundamentally changing the customer experience, and its latest innovation is real news for the fashion world.

This is a virtual clothing measurement technology based on artificial intelligence, which allows website customers to see a visual representation of the appearance of the clothes on their body, directly on the product page.

The person behind this technology is an Israeli startup called Zeekit, which was acquired by Walmart last year.

Using neural network computer vision, it is able to analyze catalog images of clothes to virtually "dress" the customer.

The use of neural networks helps to better understand how the fabric will fall on the body, and to choose variations such as size, color and cut.

This innovation comes after many efforts by the chain to help buyers choose clothes on the company's e-commerce site.

It started last March, with the launch of a tool through which its customers could choose from dozens of virtual models the one that most resembles them in terms of appearance, body structure and skin tone, and get an estimate of how the garment is likely to look on their body.

Now, the new feature, called "Be Your Own Model" allows buyers to use their own photos and see how the clothes look on them, instead of the models in the database.

As of today, the early version of the measure feature is available on the web and iOS versions on more than 270,000 items spanning the entire Walmart brand portfolio.

The Android version will be launched in the coming weeks.

How does Walmart's virtual measurement work?

To get started, customers will first need to take a photo and upload their photos to the Walmart app.

The user interface instructs the customers about the types of photos needed and how they should be taken: in underwear only, and from several angles: front, side and back.

Once you have entered all the parameters, you can "measure" almost any item of clothing and see how it looks on you.

The photos will remain associated with the customer's account for future use but can be changed at any time.

Walmart recognizes that not everyone will want to use themselves as a fashion model, which is why it will also continue to support the "Choose My Model" feature alongside the new addition.

Still, the company's long-term goal is to push more customers to use their photos to help them shop — whether it's online or even in-store, to skip the fitting room.

"Try before you buy" (Photo: Walmart)

Virtual clothing measurement changes the game

Fortune Business Insights has predicted that the size of the virtual fitting room market will reach $13 billion by 2028. A growing number of businesses are encouraging customers to make quick purchase decisions through "Try before you buy" strategies that allow them to see how tight or loose clothes are and how they behave In motion to improve the customer journey and their user experience.

And that's not all.

Virtual measurement has the potential to optimize the shopping experience in physical stores as well.

Using smart mirrors placed in the store, customers will be able to "measure" clothes and change styles, colors and patterns without having to undress in the fitting room, which will not only increase sales, but also encourage customers to return to the store and promote brand loyalty.

Walmart believes that the measurement technology will help increase conversions on the site and minimize the amount of returns.

In doing so, she hopes to solve two of the main challenges of ecommerce merchants and, according to her, she is already seeing success on this front.

Although Walmart did not provide specific metrics, it is very likely that the possibility to measure clothes in 3D, customize products according to their style, and make more satisfying buying decisions, faster, will significantly improve conversion rates and reduce the rate of returns.

Optimization of production and distribution for fashion brands

Beyond the obvious advantages in the field of customer experience, virtual clothing measurement gives the manufacturer or the e-commerce merchant a completely different type of data than we have known until now.

Instead of collecting behavioral data such as browsing and purchasing habits, the body scan technology focuses on the customer's physical data.

This information is a goldmine for manufacturers and brands because it helps them understand what their customers really need, and pass it on throughout the production and distribution chain.

This way they can produce exactly the models, designs and sizes that the customers need, in more precise quantities, and market and distribute them where they are needed, without getting stuck with surpluses.

The news to the world of fashion

While the technology is still in its infancy, the scenario of the coming years is easy to predict.

At first, it will only be used by the big chains, but over time, the technology will be perfected, more competitors will enter the game and the price will drop.

Virtual measurement will become a standard in the fashion world, and the old images we are used to seeing on product pages will become a thing of the past.

Ditza Keren is a technology reporter and editor of the Walla! channel.

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• Swimsuit

• Walmart