Global fashion retailer ASOS have launched a new augmented reality feature called ‘See My Fit’. This feature was created in collaboration with Israeli AR company Zeekit and it allows customers to see a simulated version of what clothes look like on different body types.
The trial is currently available on 800 different dresses but ASOS are hoping to roll it out across the site. ‘See My Fit’ offers a view of 16 models wearing the same dress, who range from a size 4 to a size 18, and in height from 5’ 1’’ to 5’ 9’’.
The augmented reality tool digitally maps the chosen dress onto the selected model who best represented that specific customer’s body type. The aim is to better reflect the individual body types of customers and help them shop with more ease.
One of the great things about this new feature is the fact that it represents a wide range of different body types. Shopping online can be daunting when all you see is tall and slim models, especially when they look nothing like you. However, with ‘See My Fit’, people will see that their body is normal too!
This may also increase sales for ASOS as people can see that something actually would suit their body type, rather than being put off.
Another fantastic benefit of the new ASOS augmented reality tool is that it will make shopping online so much easier. Currently, many of us will order an item in several different sizes because we have no idea what will fit. Plus, the item might not fit how we would want it to on our particular body type, and then we end up sending them all back anyway!
With ‘See My Fit’, it’s so much easier for customers to see what they’re actually buying and how it will look once it arrives. Hopefully, this will encourage people to buy and limit returns.
As we mentioned just now, many of us order more than we need because we aren’t sure what’s actually going to fit or look good. Then, much of this must be returned again, involving more transport to get the goods back to where they came from.
On top of this, most people think that the clothes they return are simply put back into the stock to be sold again. However, reports have shown that many returned products will actually end up in landfill rather than being resold, and 5 billion pounds of waste is generated each year through returns.
This is because many companies don’t have the systems and checks in place to separate the faulty products from the products which are in good condition but have been returned because they do not fit or are no longer wanted.
We’re not sure on the ASOS policy when it comes to returned products but it seems that many do end up wasted. If this AR tool can be rolled out on a larger scale, it may well help to reduce the waste associated with returns. This is because people are more likely to order their correct size and style rather than ordering loads of clothes just to send them back again.
In spite of these various benefits, some are not entirely convinced by the new future. Designer Sunny Bird believes that this new tool does not really solve key issues with underrepresentation. Instead, she believes that, as a multi-million dollar and highly influential company, ASOS should be able to shoot the clothes on real women of all different sizes rather than relying on computerised models.
Emphasising the importance of seeing how the clothes fit on a real person, she stated: “Using AR is not a real reflection of how a dress fits, hangs, shapes and drapes on a body. The only way you can do this is by a real photo or video.
Plus, other people, particularly those who are concerned about the decline of the high street, might argue that the best way to find the right size clothing for you is to try it on in real life. However, the popularity of online shopping shows no sign of decline and many of us simply don’t see visiting the high street as a priority when it’s so easy to shop online.
Although we’ll have to see how the trial goes, it’s hard to see why other online fashion retailers wouldn’t follow in the footsteps of ASOS.
While Sunny Bird suggests that ASOS has the capability to use real models for each product instead of AR, many smaller retailers definitely don’t have the capacity to shoot on this scale. However, if they could easily implement an AR system which would digitally project clothes onto different models, this would vastly improve the shopping experience
Rather than a marketing gimmick, this use of augmented reality may well be the future of e-commerce. We don’t think it will be too long until other fashion brands try out similar AR tools!
SB.