January 13, 2012
Finding the Right Fit for Online Clothing Sales
Vorsprung durch Technik, roughly translated as “Advancement through technology,” was the catchphrase for several years in Audi and Volkswagen television ads in the U.K. So the headline made sense to Guardian readers when it was used to describe the latest system for ensuring that clothes purchased online actually fit when delivered.
According to The Guardian, only seven per cent of total clothes sales in the U.S. are made online although 61 per cent of total book sales are made that way. Furthermore, the article quotes findings by German research institute, ibi, that 40 percent of clothes bought online are returned.
In an effort to change all that, UPcload, a Berlin-based start-up, will enable customers to upload their measurements and check the fit before moving from online “changing room” to checkout. One of the two founders, Asaf Moses, said “We can take the biggest uncertainty out of online shopping,” adding that their goal is to “become as ubiquitous as Paypal.”
The procedure involves shoppers holding a CD in front of them (to provide “a reference object to calculate the size of everything else in the picture”) while posing near a webcam so that UPcload’s software can calculate their measurements. UPcload creates a “passport” profiling dimensions and styling preferences. The procedure is said to take just ten minutes.
Collaboration with Dutch company MimicMe will enable shoppers to move into a virtual dressing room once their measurements have been recorded. MimicMe claims retailers will benefit through increased items viewed each visit, increased order value and the ability to “sell complete outfits with automated generated looks based on real-time stock inventory.”
Participating retailers use a widget connected to UPcload’s confidential database. When customers log on, the software tells them how something is likely to fit and whether the fit matches their preferences for loose, snug or “just right.”
UPcload doesn’t intend to launch until late February. Meanwhile, it is beta testing with North Face and planning its relationship with four German retailers. Mr. Moses has also held talks with eBay executives. This was described by the Guardian as “an exciting development, given that it was after buying an ill-fitting garment on the auction website just over two years ago that the idea for UPcload was born.”
BrainTrust
Recent Discussions
Discussion Questions
Discussion Questions: How big a hindrance is fit to online apparel sales? How receptive do you expect consumers to be to online fit-measuring technologies?
Poll
For some people, especially men, standard sizes work well. Many people find size differences among manufacturers and not all bodies match the standard. Not fitting is a real reason to return. Other reasons include color difference, poor quality and simply thinking it was a good idea at the time. After fit, the breakdown between basics or standard and fashion most likely play greater roles in returns.
Fit, especially for women’s clothing, is a definite impediment for online purchases. While we all are researching/shopping online with greater regularity, the BIGinsight Consumer Intentions & Actions (CIA) Survey points out that a mere 1.1% of adults prefer online as their top choice for making a purchase.
That figure compares to 5% of adults choosing online for shoes, 3.9% make use online as their top location for toys, 9.6% buy their electronics online as a top location, 3.1% purchase sporting goods and 2.3% purchase linens and bedding with an online preference.
When it comes to apparel, the consumer — male and female are pre-disposed to head to the store. This doesn’t discount the opportunities for online apparel, but the likelihood is that consumers are going to be making purchases of familiar items or brands — shirts, blouses, scarves, etc.
To women, “fit” is everything on online apparel sales. Is a reason why many never return to an online store after a bad experience, and why many only shop the online location of the familiar brick and mortar store — they know the sizes already.
Ask a woman her jean size and the answer will be preceded by “depends on the brand….” I’m not advocating anyone ask a woman’s jean size, but anyone can relate to the dialogue.
Early adopters will try the online fit-measuring technologies, and if it works it will spread like wildfire through the blogosphere.
I thought we’ve long had a(n)”online fit-measuring technology”…it’s called “sizing.” That it doesn’t work better probably means the products are not being produced according to the criteria. Anyway, while I think this idea is a nice start, I’m skeptical that it’s quite there yet (and I wonder in how many languages/accents it will explain to women: yes, our sizes DO run small.)
It’s a positive development and could give e-commerce sales another edge. This has been a big hindrance to clothing merchants. The fear factor still exists. Companies like Zappos worked hard to have their business model accommodate the issue. By over-communicating ease of returns and customer service, they’ve clearly made traction with wary consumers. Having more technology tools to assist the shopper could result in more acceptance of online ordering, while also cutting down on returns.
I’m not sure that fit is a hindrance to online apparel sales as much as returns/exchanges due to fit are a huge COST of doing business for online merchants.
If this software works as described, I think online merchants will adopt it and possibly even help UPcload drive end consumer usage. The big question in my mind is will the software actually work as designed? The technical challenges that they are trying to address are significant.
Online fitting room applications are cropping up all over the place and each new entrant is proclaiming that theirs is the best and provides the closest fit. There are several companies that do 3D body mapping and claim to be accurate within one inch of reality. One inch is one size in some cases!
Let’s take a look at these systems and what they require of the customer.
Measure your height, weight, bust, under bust, waist, and hips.
Or…
Stand in front of a webcam for several minutes and wait as some software program takes your measurements. Really?
Am I going to be totally honest answering that questionnaire? Or am I going to convince myself that “I don’t have a 40 inch waist! That can’t be right…there must be a full moon and I must be holding water today!”
Do I believe that software program that tells me I’m a Large instead of the Medium I always buy? “I’m buying the Medium.”
No matter how good the online fitting room application is, the ultimate buying decision comes when the package arrives and you try it on. The result is a better than 50% return rate for online apparel purchases.
OK, not to be a naysayer… let’s say that the technology gets so easy and so accurate that everything you order fits perfectly. It still isn’t enough to doom the brick and mortar apparel retailer. Why? Retail as Therapy. Adventure of hunting. Speed of service. Instant gratification.
Online apparel retail is here to stay and will simply be another channel that consumers use to engage with their brands of choice. The smart apparel retailers will build a seamless experience between their virtual and brick and mortar stores, and make each customer feel comfortable no matter which channel they choose.
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For some people, especially men, standard sizes work well. Many people find size differences among manufacturers and not all bodies match the standard. Not fitting is a real reason to return. Other reasons include color difference, poor quality and simply thinking it was a good idea at the time. After fit, the breakdown between basics or standard and fashion most likely play greater roles in returns.
Fit, especially for women’s clothing, is a definite impediment for online purchases. While we all are researching/shopping online with greater regularity, the BIGinsight Consumer Intentions & Actions (CIA) Survey points out that a mere 1.1% of adults prefer online as their top choice for making a purchase.
That figure compares to 5% of adults choosing online for shoes, 3.9% make use online as their top location for toys, 9.6% buy their electronics online as a top location, 3.1% purchase sporting goods and 2.3% purchase linens and bedding with an online preference.
When it comes to apparel, the consumer — male and female are pre-disposed to head to the store. This doesn’t discount the opportunities for online apparel, but the likelihood is that consumers are going to be making purchases of familiar items or brands — shirts, blouses, scarves, etc.
To women, “fit” is everything on online apparel sales. Is a reason why many never return to an online store after a bad experience, and why many only shop the online location of the familiar brick and mortar store — they know the sizes already.
Ask a woman her jean size and the answer will be preceded by “depends on the brand….” I’m not advocating anyone ask a woman’s jean size, but anyone can relate to the dialogue.
Early adopters will try the online fit-measuring technologies, and if it works it will spread like wildfire through the blogosphere.
I thought we’ve long had a(n)”online fit-measuring technology”…it’s called “sizing.” That it doesn’t work better probably means the products are not being produced according to the criteria. Anyway, while I think this idea is a nice start, I’m skeptical that it’s quite there yet (and I wonder in how many languages/accents it will explain to women: yes, our sizes DO run small.)
It’s a positive development and could give e-commerce sales another edge. This has been a big hindrance to clothing merchants. The fear factor still exists. Companies like Zappos worked hard to have their business model accommodate the issue. By over-communicating ease of returns and customer service, they’ve clearly made traction with wary consumers. Having more technology tools to assist the shopper could result in more acceptance of online ordering, while also cutting down on returns.
I’m not sure that fit is a hindrance to online apparel sales as much as returns/exchanges due to fit are a huge COST of doing business for online merchants.
If this software works as described, I think online merchants will adopt it and possibly even help UPcload drive end consumer usage. The big question in my mind is will the software actually work as designed? The technical challenges that they are trying to address are significant.
Online fitting room applications are cropping up all over the place and each new entrant is proclaiming that theirs is the best and provides the closest fit. There are several companies that do 3D body mapping and claim to be accurate within one inch of reality. One inch is one size in some cases!
Let’s take a look at these systems and what they require of the customer.
Measure your height, weight, bust, under bust, waist, and hips.
Or…
Stand in front of a webcam for several minutes and wait as some software program takes your measurements. Really?
Am I going to be totally honest answering that questionnaire? Or am I going to convince myself that “I don’t have a 40 inch waist! That can’t be right…there must be a full moon and I must be holding water today!”
Do I believe that software program that tells me I’m a Large instead of the Medium I always buy? “I’m buying the Medium.”
No matter how good the online fitting room application is, the ultimate buying decision comes when the package arrives and you try it on. The result is a better than 50% return rate for online apparel purchases.
OK, not to be a naysayer… let’s say that the technology gets so easy and so accurate that everything you order fits perfectly. It still isn’t enough to doom the brick and mortar apparel retailer. Why? Retail as Therapy. Adventure of hunting. Speed of service. Instant gratification.
Online apparel retail is here to stay and will simply be another channel that consumers use to engage with their brands of choice. The smart apparel retailers will build a seamless experience between their virtual and brick and mortar stores, and make each customer feel comfortable no matter which channel they choose.