No matter how fast online shopping grows and changes, when it comes to clothes, it is still less satisfying to shop online than in a store.
Even though there is a lot more to choose from and it is easier to find exactly what you want online, you can’t touch or try things you buy online. Because of this, there are more returns because people often order clothes in sizes that don’t fit and then have to ask for a return.
Instead, physical stores have dressing rooms where you can try on clothes and pick the size that fits you best. This way, when you buy a dress, you know it will fit you well.
So, many eCommerce companies have come up with a new way to cut down on returns and make customers happier: virtual dressing rooms.
Read on to find out what they are and how they can help you make more money with your business.
Virtual Fitting Rooms Are a Solution that You Need
If before 2020 there were long lines in front of the dressing rooms of the most fashionable stores, due to the pandemic, many physical stores had to close and virtual dressing rooms became the only solution to try on the clothing you were buying.
Because of this, a lot of well-known companies have been forced to add virtual dressing rooms to their stores, and the results have surprised them. Because of how helpful it has been, this emergency resource is now a must-have in their stores. In fact, virtual Dressing rooms had reduced returns, decreased bounce frequency and increased customer satisfaction.
Since customers can’t choose an exact size online, they often buy a few different sizes to try at home and then send them back. Such behaviour has become particularly common during Covid. In 2020, customers returned goods worth $428 billion, which was 10% of all retail sales in the United States. Pulling amounts means that a store gets returns worth an average of 106 million dollars for every billion dollars of orders.
As more and more stores have implemented virtual dressing rooms on their websites, it makes sense to expect them to become one of the strongest trends in e-commerce in the near future. In this article, we will consider the benefits of virtual fitting rooms in more detail so that you can see how they can help you increase your online store sales and keep your customers satisfied. First of all, let’s take a closer look at the virtual fitting rooms and consider the way they work.
What Are Virtual Fitting Rooms?
A virtual fitting room is a feature that lets people try on clothes on your website without having to physically touch them. Everything happens in real time. Your customers can look at an item’s style, size, and how it fits. Different companies have come up with these solutions, which are based on augmented reality.
Show your online store’s products in augmented reality, 3D modeling, or both.
The information from a webcam is used by software in a virtual fitting room to make a 3D model of the user’s body. The result is a 360° model that the user can turn and look at from different angles to see how an item fits. AI is used in a lot of these kinds of solutions. AI algorithms help make full-body models so that users can see themselves as if they were standing in front of a mirror in a real fitting room.
Radio frequency identification is used to link the model made by an AI algorithm to the chosen item (RFID). This technology scans the items that the shopper has chosen. The item is put on top of the 3D model so the user can see how it fits without actually trying it on. There are a lot of different solutions from different companies that almost do the same thing but are made for different platforms.
For example, Apple’s ARKit can be used to make apps for iOS that work like virtual fitting rooms, and Microsoft’s Kinect can do the same thing for Windows. Amazon has even made a “magic mirror” device called Echo Look. It has a voice-controlled camera and is based on augmented reality technology. Now that you know what virtual fitting rooms are and how they work, let’s take a closer look at what they can do for you.
Benefits of Virtual Fitting Rooms
Decreased return rates
Fashion brands always have a hard time with returns. If your return rate is high, it can not only make things harder to manage, but it can also make you less money. When companies offer free returns, the effect of returns on profits is especially clear. Virtual fitting rooms are great because they can help you deal with this problem and lower the number of returns.
Up to 30% of returns in eCommerce are because the customer chose a smaller size, and 22% are because the size was too big. You can lower the number of returns by giving your customers a way to see how different clothes look on them before they buy them.
Building an emotional connection with customers
Every marketer knows that people’s feelings have a lot of power. Have you ever gone into a store without a clear idea of what you wanted to buy but felt so comfortable there that you bought something? You’re not the only one who has bought something in a store because of how it looks or sounds. Customers are more likely to buy from you if they are in a good mood and see that you care about them.
A virtual fitting room can do the same thing for your website and boost sales in your online store by showing customers that you care about them. Also, trying on clothes online will make you feel good because it’s like playing a game. 34% of people who shop online say that it’s fun because they can use virtual fitting rooms. If your competitors don’t have virtual fitting rooms yet, this feature can give you a big edge over them.
Generating buzz
Virtual fittings are still a new technology so not all online shops can offer it. Companies that have already tried it, however, quickly realized that virtual fitting rooms can increase online store sales. One of the main advantages of virtual fitting rooms is that they can help you stand out.
Nothing can help you generate buzz around your brand as effectively as innovative technologies that create engaging experiences. Given that virtual fitting rooms are based on augmented reality, you can come up with various creative solutions, creating a unique shopping experience that people will be excited to talk about.
Customers can share pictures of themselves wearing your products on social media by using virtual fitting rooms. Virtual fitting rooms could be very helpful if you want to get more people to visit your social media pages. People are more likely to share pictures of their 3D models than marketing content, and when their followers see user-generated content, they are more likely to visit your website because they trust their friends more than marketers. So, virtual fitting rooms can be one of the tools you use to market your online store.
Encouraging visitors to try on more items
You’d like to sell everything you have, but there are always limits on how many things your customers can try. Even if a customer wants to buy a lot of clothes in a store, they are likely to only try on a few items because there are other people waiting in line. Customers don’t have to deal with any restrictions in online stores, which is a good thing.
Customers can try on more items and buy more from your online store if it has a virtual fitting room. Combining virtual fitting rooms with personalized recommendations is the best way to solve this problem. This way, your customers can scroll through different options and match clothes with shoes, hats, and other accessories. Not only will this boost your sales, but it will also give your customers a unique and interesting experience.
Increasing loyalty
As we’ve already said, virtual fitting rooms can help you cut down on the number of items that are sent back. The happier your customers are, and the less frustrated they are, the less returns you get. Customer experience is the main factor that affects customer loyalty, and adding virtual fitting rooms to your website can take customer experience to the next level because they are both useful and interesting.
How to display eCommerce products in AR
If you can’t put a virtual dressing room in your store because the technology is too expensive, know that it’s much easier to show your products in augmented reality or through your mobile phone in your customer’s home.
ECommerce platforms like Woocommerce and Shopify already have AR technology built in, so all you have to do is upload 3D files in the right format and your store will be able to show products in AR.
Creating a 3D model of your product is not easy, but don’t give up on it just because Dropship-Empire says so.