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E-retailers install 3D scanners to solve fitting problems

09
Aug '13

With the influx of digitalization in apparel retailing, several e-commerce platforms have started installing 3D body scanners to attract more customers as it helps online clothing retailers to boost their revenue and profitability by enabling them to overcome online fitting problems.

In an interview with fibre2fashion, founder and CEO of yStats.com, an e-commerce business intelligence firm, Mr. Yucel Yelken, said, “A recent innovative breakthrough which may have a major influence on e-commerce and m-commerce markets for apparel is development of 3D body scanners to find the right sizes.”

Global apparel retailers including, Target, Levi’s and Marks and Spencer, launched 3D body scanners in their web portal a year ago.

“In 3D body scanner, the customers would be scanned with the help of a millimeter wave technology to gather their body’s shape and dimensions data from various points of scale. The collected data would be used by the retailer to create a 3D image of the subject’s body and determine the most common shapes,” said Target in a statement.

According to Mr. Yelken, online clothing retailers have long tried to convince consumers of the convenience and safety of buying apparel over Internet, which has no fitting rooms to try on the items prior to the purchase, by posting videos with demonstrations and adding products to the websites.

However, now the problems might be treated with the 3D scanners which are already installed in some of the UK and the US shops. “Several tech firms have also started to offer home scans installed in web cameras,” he informs.

“Moreover, one US tech start-up developed an application that, by processing body parameters and the preferences for the clothing item entered by the user, gives a list of suitable products from the retailer’s website,” he adds.

An example of home scan software is the virtual tape measurement developed by computer vision experts at the University of Surrey in England in collaboration with London College of Fashion and body-mapping specialist Bodymetrics.

“Virtual tape measurement helps the user to take accurate measurement of the body with the help of a webcam or a smart phone,” says Prof. Adrian Hilton from University of Surrey.

Thus, new developments in science and technology have changed the shopping patterns of consumers and it looks like e-tailers may now be able to give tough competition to regular brick and mortar stores.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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