Luxor &; amp； "One of the changes brought about by the epidemic is that even if stores reopen, people are reluctant to try them on in stores," he said Jessica Coach, founder of Finch, believes that the epidemic has changed people's views on shopping.
"Before the epidemic, shopping was actually a social activity. Consumers will shop and eat with friends, and all the experiences will be completed in physical stores, "Kutcher said. "Now, people want the same online experience as in stores, and brands are shifting the discovery process from physical stores to home devices such as mobile phones."
Trying on underwear online is a bold attempt by retailers.
The brand's demand for these digital technology services is obvious. For example, Cuup, an underwear e-commerce, saw its sales increase by 700% in April compared with April 20 19. More interestingly, the brand had to quadruple the number of seats in the virtual fitting meeting (via video teleconference) in April to meet the booking demand.
AdoreMe, an underwear brand, started a similar service in the last week of April, connecting underwear shopping guide specialists with customers through virtual fitting Zoom. So far, 65 meetings have been held, and Morgan Hermand Waiche, founder and CEO of Adore Me, said that the sales revenue of video conferencing was almost equal to the loss of closing stores during the epidemic.
FitFinder, the fitting tool of ThirdLove, has tried on new underwear for more than170,000 women without entering the store. During the closing period, the sales of Thirdlove.com website increased by 65,438+02% compared with the same period of last year.
Heidi Zak, the co-founder of ThirdLove, said: "If you want to sell products such as bras online, you must provide corresponding services. This service is better than the in-store experience, because it is related to everyone's figure and body shape. "
Pienaar Dincel, the fashion director of Intelistyle, said in his blog that "virtual fitting" can increase sales revenue.
Intelistyle also found that consumers who were pushed during the epidemic were more willing to buy. "This is an unexpected discovery for us, but it also proves the value of optimizing personalized online experience for customers," Dincel added. "Brands that use technologies such as SMS or email to personalize communication with customers can build loyalty."
Dincel said that in the state of self-isolation, customers become more sensitive and anxious, and the sense of connection becomes more important than ever.
Soma, a sub-brand of Chico's FAS, has adopted such a solution, and consumers can adapt to meetings wearing SomaInnofit bra (a sports bra-like top with a computer chip that can connect women's measurement data to shop assistants anywhere) and a video called Style Connect. Vanessa Du Salder, Soma's senior vice president in charge of sales and design, added that since the outbreak, the number of people on social media asking to try on bras online has increased. "SomaInnofit uses intelligent try-on tools, and we can continue to provide personalized service to our customers while maintaining physical distance isolation."
Chico's said in a recent executive conference call that the Style Connect tool helped all its brands, including the White House Black Market and TellTale, triple their online sales in the latest quarter.
In addition to contacting underwear experts by phone, email or social media, new york-based swimsuit brand Andie also uses body questionnaires generated by artificial intelligence to ask some questions, such as: "What do you like best or least about your body, or what do you do when you wear a swimsuit?" The consumer's personal data will be associated with the returned product and explain the reason for the return.
Melanie Travis, founder and CEO of Andy, said: "The try-on experience is getting smarter and smarter. Even if it is returned, as long as it is a smooth shopping experience, it will continue to come back to buy. Having a lifelong customer is much more important than completing a transaction. " Women who take the test are more likely to buy than women who don't take the test, and the sales of brands have also increased by more than 600%.
Fitting at home is a better experience.
The epidemic and isolation have accelerated the demand for similar services in the retail industry. But even if there is no epidemic, it is not a good experience for most people to try on clothes online. Cookie explained: "The time cost of trying on clothes is too high."
Therefore, home fitting service will be a great advantage for many brands. Kutcher also reminded companies and brands that want to use fitting technology: they need to make sure they get it right the first time, or they risk losing customers forever. If this technology is not smooth, doesn't work well, or worse, doesn't work at all, consumers are unlikely to stick to it.
Kutcher believes that brands must highly personalize the technology they choose, just as they highly personalize the customer experience according to their own brands. In order to make better use of time and ensure the customer experience, Couch suggested that brands conduct small-scale pilot tests and collect feedback before launching large-scale products. They also need to have a deep understanding of products, brand information and customers.
Kutcher said: "If you don't have ready-made information or the information is not up-to-date, I wouldn't advise any brand to hastily integrate any type of technology. You should make sure that the technology helps to improve the purchase. Before innovating the shopping experience, you must understand the behavior of your customers, what makes them change, what makes them happy and confident, and how to build trust? " Kutcher suggested that fashion companies and brands invest in the research and development of try-on technology.
"Don't be disappointed because there is no immediate effect. Investing in technology is a long-term strategy, "she said. Underwear and adoration I have accumulated some skills. In addition to the Zoom fitting room, Adore Me also allows shoppers to order from the website, try them on at home and return things they don't like. They can also choose to worship me and choose a suit for them.
Kutcher said: "Besides, to do this well, you must be very good at planning. You must make sure that your customer is satisfied with your experience, just as she is with the shopping guide in the store, and can make useful suggestions. A very accurate algorithm is needed to match the suggestions. But generally speaking, people like to try on clothes at home. "
In the post-epidemic era, virtual reality technology will also be a powerful tool to help consumers shop. Virtual fitting room will also appear in the supply chain, and so will virtual reality fashion week, such as the first digital fashion week in London and the upcoming fashion shows in Paris and Milan.
"Brands must better understand product-based buying behavior and then provide technology to help solve these problems," Kutcher said. "This seems troublesome, but in fact, what can brands do besides effectively matching customers and products?"
(The content of this article is the exclusive content of titanium media "Fashion Technology" channel, which is jointly produced by WWD International Fashion News and titanium media content team. Original source: WWD Compilation: He Jing)