Our guiding principle is that ‘One Size Doesn’t Fit All’
Bodi.Me is a UK-based SaaS company specialising in size and fit recommendation software aimed at reducing garment returns and promoting sustainability in the fashion industry. Launched in 2014, its proprietary Size-Me tool utilises AI technology to provide personalised sizing advice, with a particular focus on workwear and uniforms. In an interview with Fibre2Fashion, Co-founder & CEO Lara Mazzonni discusses fashion fit technology and its future.
How can fashion retailers use data analytics and AI to improve the online shopping experience and stay competitive in the digital market?
AI possesses advanced capabilities in the realm of retail data analytics, offering immense benefits to the industry. Its capacity to analyse vast quantities of data from diverse sources, including fashion media, social media, sales data, and other trend forecasting tools, is nothing short of remarkable. This analytical power enables fashion retailers to enhance their ability to forecast customer behaviour accurately and stay ahead of emerging trends.
Our tools, in particular, can be harnessed to optimise stock orders, minimising instances of incorrect sizing in stock and excess inventory.
Can you take us back to the inception of Bodi.Me in 2014 and share what motivated you to venture into the fashion fit technology space?
I am passionate about the role technology has to play in helping us to achieve a more sustainable, circular economy and am keen to apply my many years’ experience in technology and design to support this transition.
As we have all experienced, myself included, the same size can differ wildly from one retailer or brand to another, leading to shoppers habitually buying the same item in several sizes, or ‘bracketing’. As online fashion and apparel shopping grows, so does the returns issue and few people realise that they are doubling or tripling a garment’s footprint, each time they return an item. Our unique approach is that we have put the customers at centre, and developed a technology that can be personalised for each individual and with a few simple questions provides the right fit from the very start.
Your company has won few prestigious awards too. How have these accolades impacted the journey and visibility of Bodi.Me?
We are thrilled to receive recognition from some of the most reputable and influential global institutions. Within the technology sector and core apparel industry, particularly in the uniform and workwear sector, our distinctive and highly efficient system has been acknowledged and well-understood. This recognition has garnered very positive attention, emphasising the demand for our technology.
In the rapidly evolving field of Machine Learning and AI, how do you stay ahead of the competition and ensure that you technology remains cutting-edge?
The technology is constantly changing, and we have, and scout, some of the best people in the field. Our team is constantly staying on top of developments, learning and understanding how to apply the most up-to-date tech to our client needs. Our team is passionate about, and love what we do, plus we all strongly believe that technology can help the garment industry to achieve its sustainable goals.
Can you talk about how your partnerships with MaRS and Innovate UK have assisted Bodi.Me in entering the North American market?
The partnership is all about building relationships, trust and really listen and understand the needs of businesses in North America. Whilst it is tremendously helpful for us to understand where the gaps are in the market and where we can get the competitive edge, the partnership has also been helpful in getting this market to understand who we are, what we do, and what our benefits are compared to other solutions.
How have 3D body and fabric scanners revolutionised the apparel industry, and what has been the feedback from your clients regarding these technologies?
Overall, the use of scanners has contributed to digitising the apparel industry and speeding up decision-making processes and product delivery. Scanners with the high degree of accuracy that we use are helping the industry to move closer to a more sustainable made-on-demand and made-to-measure business model. Some of our clients have integrated the 3D body and fabric scanner technology into their businesses, and they have been enthusiastic about the simplicity and accuracy of the technology.
Bodi.Me has significantly reduced return rates for businesses. Could you elaborate on how this positively affects both the consumer experience and the environment?
Significantly reducing return rates through Bodi.Me, with an average reduction of 80 per cent in returns, has multiple positive impacts. These include cost savings associated with handling returns, as well as benefits for both consumers and the environment.
On the consumer front, the shopping experience is vastly improved when customers can find the perfect fit right from the start. The hassle of returning items, including the time and effort expended, are eliminated. Additionally, shoppers no longer need to purchase multiple options while awaiting refunds, and the psychological stress of not finding the right fit is alleviated. Overall, it leads to a smoother and more satisfying shopping journey for consumers.
From an environmental perspective, reducing returns plays a crucial role in minimising the fashion industry’s substantial environmental footprint. Nearly 50 per cent of returns often end up in landfills, contributing to waste problems. Furthermore, each returned garment increases carbon emissions due to transportation and processing. Additionally, a significant portion of packaging, approximately 46 per cent, is not recyclable, further adding to environmental concerns.
By implementing accurate fit technology like Bodi.Me, we can encourage more responsible shopping habits, ultimately leading to a significant reduction in both the volume of returns and the environmental impact associated with them. This, in turn, promotes a more sustainable and eco-friendly approach to fashion retailing.
How does the Size-Me tool cater to the unique needs of the uniform industry, ensuring a perfect fit for a diverse range of body types?
At Bodi.Me, our guiding principle is that ‘One Size Doesn’t Fit All’, and this philosophy extends to the way we tailor our technologies for our clients. It is the reason why we are industry leaders in fashion fit technology, particularly for the uniform sector. Our Size-Me solution has evolved over the years through careful consideration of our clients’ needs and their customers’ preferences and concerns.
Several key aspects have guided the development of the Size-Me platform. First and foremost, it was essential for the platform to seamlessly integrate with our clients’ systems. Additionally, it was designed to be inclusive and maintain strict confidentiality. Furthermore, we focused on making the user experience straightforward, simple, and comfortable when answering questions.
The Marks and Spencer case study stands as a remarkable example of our bespoke approach. Thanks to this tailored strategy, we were able to customise the system to align perfectly with their more gender-neutral designs.
Can you tell us about a success story or case study where Bodi.Me significantly transformed a business’s approach to size and fit?
In October 2020, Incorporatewear embarked on a quest to find a fashion fit technology partner capable of crafting a customised solution to outfit the 14,000 volunteers participating in the 2022 Commonwealth Games—the first carbon-neutral international games.
Having previously collaborated with Incorporatewear on a prior project involving the integration of a tailored fashion fit technology for their online made-to-measure suit e-commerce platform, they were already well-acquainted with Bodi.Me’s capabilities and our customer-centric approach.
Despite the challenges posed by the full-scale COVID lockdown in early 2021, we joined forces with Incorporatewear and the Commonwealth Games team to create a platform that could provide precise size recommendations by posing a few straightforward questions within the application process for the 50,000 potential volunteers.
Fast forward six months, and we diligently analysed the data, optimising the production quantities for each size to eliminate waste and overproduction. By May 2022, just before the games commenced, we had delivered more than 85,000 size recommendations. This ensured that each selected volunteer received precisely the right size for each garment in the uniform set, making a significant contribution to Incorporatewear’s commitment to a fully carbon-neutral uniform range.
Could you explain how the Made-to-Measure feature works and how it is changing the bespoke clothing business landscape?
The Made-on-Demand production model is gaining increasing popularity within the business world as it aids in reducing overproduction and excess stock. However, even products made on-demand often feature a higher level of personalisation and, if they do not fit properly, are prone to returns, making them difficult to resell. This is where modern fit technology plays a pivotal role in the made-to-measure model.
Size-Me technology excels at swiftly, easily, and remotely collecting basic consumer data and transforming it into accurate measurements that can be utilised to craft a tailor-made digital pattern. This pattern can be dispatched to production within a matter of minutes.
The Size-Me solution has the capability to predict up to 50 measurements, each of which can be customised to meet the specific fit requirements of different designs. Achieving this level of precision simply involves asking a few straightforward questions such as height, weight, bra size, and jeans size. Thanks to this technology, even the most intricate bespoke garments can be impeccably fitted. Furthermore, the system seamlessly integrates with third-party software, facilitating a smooth design-to-production process that is ideal for supporting made-to-order business models. It truly is that straightforward.
What were the challenges in convincing luxury fashion brands to adopt your technology, and did this steer the company towards focusing on uniforms?
Since the launch of Bodi.Me, we have engaged in conversations with nearly every European luxury brand, emphasising the advantages our technology brings to both their businesses and their customers, not to mention its positive impact on the environment. It is important to note that luxury brands, given their commitment to delivering the highest standards and experiences to their clientele, tend to be risk-averse. This sets them apart from tech companies, which are often inclined to rapidly launch and test new technologies. Luxury brands, on the other hand, undergo a slow and extensive proof of concept phase that can take years, which can be challenging for startups.
Simultaneously, we found ourselves approached by uniform suppliers facing the daunting task of measuring thousands of individuals across multiple locations using a manual, time-consuming, and expensive process. This is where our technology began to gain rapid adoption. Our clients in the uniform industry quickly recognised the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of our technology.
Fast forward a decade, and we have become leaders in providing size and fit solutions for both uniform and made-on-demand businesses.
Looking forward, what innovations or expansions are on the horizon for Bodi.Me?
We are constantly working towards making the system more accurate but also more-and-more user-friendly with a view to get more people to adopt it. We are also currently working on more ways to support businesses with production planning and to support the circular economy.
We have just launched Size-Me 4.0, the only 3D virtual size recommendation tool available in the market, that allows wearers to visually see how the garment will fit on different parts of the body and select the right size for their preferred fit.
We have a roadmap packed with new tools designed to help the garment industry become more sustainable.
With virtual 3D technologies offering a digital solution for garment design, how do you see the future of fashion design evolving?
The adoption of 3D digital tools to design garments is still in its early stages across the industry, although the COVID-19 lockdown period prompted many brands’ design teams to explore and utilise. As 3D digital design becomes more seamlessly integrated into the design process, it can be employed from the initial concept phase through to virtual try-on.
This is where comprehensive fit databases, such as ours, prove to be invaluable. With a more integrated approach, garment fit can be finely tuned to meet the specific requirements of the target audience. Designers can leverage this technology to craft better-fitting, more inclusive garments that cater to a broader size range and offer a more gender-neutral fit. For instance, in the realm of gender-neutral design, the industry is buzzing with fantastic concepts, but the challenge of achieving the right fit remains a significant barrier.
Besides sizing recommendations, what innovative strategies or technologies have you observed or foresee in tackling the issue of returns in online fashion?
At Bodi.Me, we place a strong emphasis on actively listening to our clients’ feedback and identifying their pain points. Our commitment is to consistently deliver the best technological solutions that effectively address these concerns. Consequently, our technology roadmap is brimming with cutting-edge R&D projects aimed at further enhancing Size-Me as the most user-friendly, inclusive, and gender-neutral system in the market.
Regrettably, we are unable to divulge specific details about these technologies as they are currently undergoing research and development and are also subject to patent applications.
How can AI-driven solutions contribute to delivering more personalised fashion recommendations and improving customer engagement?
Personalisation stands as a prominent focal point within the made-on-demand and made-to-order movement. Advancements in technology, ranging from digital printing to robotic cutters, enable brands to harness the capabilities of local micro-factories, delivering bespoke products within days rather than months.
AI-based platforms play a pivotal role in expediting these personalisation initiatives, with examples like Size-Me ensuring the perfect fit, and other systems tailoring custom dresses or suits to individual preferences.
Lastly, as a pioneer in the industry, what advice would you give to young entrepreneurs looking to make a positive impact in the fashion technology space?
In the realm of fashion fit technology, we have witnessed numerous players with promising ideas and substantial funds swiftly exit the market within as little as 24 months. They possessed knowledge but often neglected to heed a critical factor – listening.
As a mentor within several fashion accelerators, I have had the privilege of interacting with many brilliant individuals brimming with captivating ideas. My consistent advice to them has been, “Listen attentively to the real problems your clients are facing first and foremost.”
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