US' Guess adopts Matterport digital twins for new retail experience

Since 2017, Guess has used Matterport digital twins, or photorealistic digital replicas of stores, to realise a 200 per cent increase in productivity, a 30 per cent decrease in travel costs, and a 95 per cent reduction in departmental paper and printer ink costs. Additionally, by equipping employees with iPad and the Bigtincan sales enablement solution, Guess trained and collaborated remotely with staff, engaged partners and wholesale customers, replacing in person store and showroom visits with virtual experiences, the two companies said in a joint media statement.

At Guess, visual merchandising teams frequently reimagine its brick-and-mortar experience. To ensure global brand consistency across stores, Guess configures new layouts and displays in a mock store at its corporate headquarters (HQ). Guess captures a digital twin of its sample space with a Matterport camera and then shares it with store managers globally to replicate in-person.

To provide detailed instructions for store teams, each digital twin contains Mattertags – color-coded, visual tags anchored to a specific product and embedded with audio, video, or detailed notes from Guess HQ. Equipped with iPad, Guess’ store teams can view their Matterport digital twins directly through Bigtincan, the company’s sales enablement platform and central hub for proprietary content and knowledge.

With quick, convenient access to digital twins, retail associates can make merchandising updates on the fly and onboard new employees with rich, 3D visuals that demonstrate brand guidelines and in-store layouts. Using digital twins in this process, Guess saw a 200 per cent increase in productivity in the same amount of time as a typical merchandising directive. Additionally, using digital twins allowed them to reduce team travel by 30 per cent through remote collaboration and eliminate the typically manual process of printing and shipping materials directly to stores, resulting in a 95 per cent reduction in departmental paper and printer ink costs, according to Guess.

To liaise with buyers and wholesale partners, Guess relies on showrooms to market new products and collections. Guess used Matterport digital twins in place of in-person showroom visits to create an immersive, virtual experience for buyers. With digital twins, Guess can remotely share new collections and convey detailed product information, enabling buyers to view a garment from any angle, zoom in for closer inspection, and make direct purchases. Since adopting digital twins, Guess has doubled its number of showroom appointments and significantly reduced the air travel previously required for its staff and wholesale customers.

“Brick-and-mortar retailers still face a lot of uncertainty, but digital twins have enabled us to streamline our operations worldwide and build exciting, virtual experiences that set us up for long-term success. Whether we are onboarding new employees or making updates to our store displays, brand consistency is crucial. With Matterport digital twins, merchandising teams at our Los Angeles headquarters can set clear directives for our stores worldwide, while new hires can more easily familiarise themselves with our brand. In addition, creating digital twins of our showrooms help us provide a seamless, virtual experience for buyers,” Jacklyn De Antunano, project manager, training and development, at Guess.

“The retail landscape has shifted, and Matterport digital twins are helping traditional, brick-and-mortar retailers innovate their solutions to connect virtually with internal and external stakeholders. Guess demonstrates the multiple use cases for digital twins across the retail industry. From creating a consistent brand experience at the store level to powering new, remote experiences for buyers, Guess has leveraged Matterport to unlock a truly omnichannel experience,” Stephanie Lin, senior director, global retail strategy for Matterport, said.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (GK)