Comments on: No Room for Virtual Fitting Rooms in Ecommerce

By: Gregory Saumier-Finch

Gregory Saumier-Finch — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 15:37:39 +0000

Hi Eric. I am from My Virtual Model. Very interesting article. I agree that the problem of online fit is still unsolved. Partly because of the difficulty in getting accurate body measurements. It is very difficult to measure oneself at home, even with the help of a friend. But knowing what size to buy is not the only question shoppers have. At My Virtual Model we focus on outfitting – the “Look”. By mixing & matching tops and bottoms with shoes and accessories we not only create a very fun activity, but also empower people to see outfits on their body shape. With face mapping you can optionally add a photo of your face to your Virtual Model. This is similar to the augmented reality solutions like Fashionista in that you see “yourself” wearing the outfit, but the advantage with My Virtual Model is that you can create complete outfits with tops, bottoms, jackets, shoes, hand bags that actually fit on your body shape like they would in real life.

I also agree with the challenge of virtualizing physical garments. Similar to Mimicme we have brought down the cost of digitizing garments from weeks to only a few minutes. So stay tuned for a come back of virtual dressing rooms that provide fantastic outfitting capabilities.

By: Xavier Baars

Xavier Baars — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 17:13:58 +0000

I think it is important to keep the fast improving capabilities of technology in mind. I am from MimicMe and we are able to digitise all garments based on existing product pictures, so instead of hours the production of 3D garments takes minutes. And actually I expect different companies will be able to automate this process including simulating different sizes within a couple of years.

In my opinion virtual fitting rooms should not focus on reducing reverse logistics only. In fact upselling items by visualising how to complete a look or providing inspiration will have a greater impact on the ROI.

By: Holly Beum

Holly Beum — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 18:45:24 +0000

I develop software for the fashion industry. Heikki was dead on – without body shape information, clothing size is practically unusable information, especially for women. Think about it: in every size you have the possibility of being large, medium or small chested; large, medium or small waisted and large, medium or small hipped. This results in over 27 different possible combinations per size and we haven’t even begun to look at the various body segment lengths (torso, rise, etc)! Clothing manufacturers create fit profiles and savy consumers have learned, via trial and error, which brands will offer more hip room, better cleavage coverage, etc….that is until the brand changes their fit profile which happens all too often. Now add to this complexity the fact that there are no algorithms that properly predict all types of fabric draping and stretch on a mannequin(This is also true for skin draping which is why it is easier for 3D annimation studios to create realistic looking annimated toys but not realistic humans). And, unlike a mannequin, customers have various conditions of muscle tone, which also affect fit, especially in swimwear and intimates.

It is for all these reasons that 3D modelling is not yet ready for prime time in fashion.

By: Erin

Erin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:31:54 +0000

Hi Heikki, Thanks for your reply and for sharing the information on other technologies in the area. I agree that returns because of poor fit are still a huge consideration for ecommerce; cutting the number of returns by even a small percentage can represent a great cost savings. Good luck with the development of Fits.me. I look forward to seeing the progress.

By: VMLawrence

VMLawrence — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:47:04 +0000

Great post!

Harovia

By: Heikki

Heikki — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:44:57 +0000

I’m from Fits.me and wanted to thank you for this insightful article. You point out the most pressing troubles for any of the virtual fitting room technologies.

Some other interesting technologies in this area are being developed by http://www.mimicme.nl, Japanese Rakuten is using a variation that helps choose the right size, Tukatech’s Styku is nearly coming to the market, and Myshape.com gives great size and fit recommendations.

An international sizing standardization would help apparel e-commerce a lot – however, it should have a new system which, in addition to size, would register the customers body shape.

Currently 25-30% of clothes bought online are being returned, with 60% of the reason of returns the poor fit. 15% of the reason of returns is the “feel” of the fabric, 5% color misrepresentation. Return rates vary by category, with t-shirts lowest at about 8%.

And I really wanted to brag a bit: making 2000 photos of clothes in different size iterations is simply cheaper than 3D modeling. It takes about 2 hours. 2-3 weeks is the whole setup time, which mostly goes under logistics and integration. Per brand Fits.me digitizes only about 4-7 generic fit samples.

I really enjoy this type of articles as your feedback really helps us pinpoint what’s missing.