Page 24 - ARUBA TODAY

Monday 30 october 2017 TECHNOLOGY
A24

Fit or miss? Retailers offer new tools to help shoppers

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO
AP Retail Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Stores
watching Amazon take
a larger share of clothing
sales are trying to solve one
of the most vexing issues
for online shoppers: Finding
items that fit properly.
The retailers are unleashing
tools that use artificial intelli-
gence to replicate the help
a salesperson at a store
might offer, calculate a
shopper’s most likely body
shape, or use 3D models
for a virtual fitting room try-
on. Amazon, which some
analysts say would surpass
Macy’s this year as the
largest U.S. clothing seller,
is offering some customers
an Alexa-powered device
that doubles as a selfie-
stick machine and a stylist.
Retailers want to reduce
the rate of online returns, This image provided by Levi Strauss & Co. shows the company’s Virtual Stylist which texts back and forth with online customers to
which can be up to 40 offer recommendations, based on their preferences. Marc Rosen, Levi’s president of global e-commerce, says early tests show the
percent, and thus make chatbot is driving more browsers to become buyers. Associated Press
customers happier — and
more likely to be repeat works with QVC and other strategy and chief cus- Red Giraffe Advisors, which clothes and offers recom-
shoppers. And the more companies, fine-tuned its tomer officer at Gap, says makes early stage invest- mendations on outfits. It
interaction shoppers have fit technology this summer its augmented reality app ments in fashion tech. works with its Style Check
with a brand, the more the and says its retail partners has received good feed- “If it’s not Amazon, will app using machine learn-
technology will learn about now offer garments that back, but it’s still determin- brand-specific apps be the ing and advice from ex-
shoppers’ preferences, should fit shoppers’ body ing whether shoppers really way for people to shop in perts. The potential: learn
says Vicky Zadeh, CEO of shapes when the customer want a virtual 3D model. the future?” she continued. shoppers’ styles and rec-
Rakuten Fits Me, a tech first does the initial search. Clothing brand Tommy Hil- “How many apps are peo- ommend outfits to buy. Am-
company that works with Shoppers provide three figer similarly has built its ple going to have on their azon reportedly is exploring
QVC and clothing startup measurements — height, mobile app around the phone?” the idea of quickly fulfilling
brands. weight, and age — and camera and image recog- “It’s great that they’re bust- online orders for custom-fit
“It’s all about confidence,” then it calculates a person’s nition. It has an augmented ing their tail with all these clothing.The company also
she says. “If they have the most likely body shape, not reality feature enabling apps, but I am skeptical,” reportedly acquired Body
confidence to buy, they will size, to determine the fit shoppers to see what the said Doug Garnett of Port- Labs, which creates true-
come back to the retailer for any garment and of- clothes look like on a virtual land, Oregon. Garnett says to-life 3D body models.
time and time again.” fer more accurate recom- runway model — but not he buys some clothes on- Steve Barr, the U.S. retail
The push is coming from mendations. their own body type. line when he knows and and consumer sector lead-
big names like Levi’s and And Gap Inc. has an aug- And men’s online clothier understands the brands, er at consultants PwC, says
The Gap and startups like mented reality app in col- Bonobos, now owned by but otherwise, he says, “I that Amazon is trying for a
Rhone and Taylrd. laboration with Google Walmart, launched an app really need to see them on curated experience based
Levi’s new Virtual Stylist texts and startup Avametric that that offers customers a vir- my body before I act, and on massive data analytics.
back and forth with online allows shoppers to virtually tual closet to see items they really prefer that to be in a But he thinks it has limita-
customers to offer recom- try on clothes. Shoppers en- bought and saved. The store.” tions against well-loved
mendations, based on their ter information like height app is converting browsers As Amazon dives further brands.
preferences. Marc Rosen, and weight and then the to buyers at a faster rate, into fashion, it could use its “No matter how great
Levi’s president of global e- app puts a 3D model in says Andy Dunn, founder of base of data to spur trends Amazon is with artificial in-
commerce, says early tests front of them. However, the Bonobos. and personalize offers for telligence and predictive
show the chatbot is driving tool only works on Google Companies are smart to its customers. Its Echo Look behaviors,” Barr said, “they
more browsers to become Tango smartphones. offer new tools, but many features a built-in camera can’t put a red tab on a
buyers. Sebastian DiGrande, ex- are too “gimmicky,” says that photographs and re- pair of a jeans or a swoosh
Rakuten Fits Me, which ecutive vice president and Sapna Shah, principal at cords shoppers trying on on a pair of shoes.”q