What virtual try-on experience to improve fashion e-commerce KPIs in 2022?

After Covid, fashion e-commerce continues to grow more than ever, 51% of products purchased online are clothing according to Fevad in 2021.

However, online shopping has several limits for shoppers:

• While browsing a fashion e-commerce site, some clothes are complicated to imagine wearing, so consumers have difficulties to project themselves online.
• According to a study conducted by Ben Barry, purchase intention decreases by 60% when the user is unable to project himself in what he is buying.
• This lack of projection is a brake for consumers, they do not go ahead with the purchase if they hesitate.
• By offering mannequins that users can identify with, e-tailers could see an increase in conversion up to 25%.
• Others make mistakes in their choices, they order the wrong size or the style does not suit them once they receive the item, so these consumers make returns.
• Improved customer projection is also a way to reduce customer returns by up to 30%.

The online fashion industry is therefore interested in proposing new experiences to solve these problems. Various virtual fitting solutions exist and seek to propose solutions in this sense:

‍

Allow consumers to choose their mannequin to assist in the projection

The simplest version of virtual fitting is the "Choose my model" version, like the one Zeekit developed for the pure player Asos 2 years ago.

In this experience, users can choose different mannequins from the range offered.

This kind of experience is a real plus for consumers, they feel like they are in control of their purchases. The advantage for shopping sites is multiple, more interactivity, a differentiating experience and more conversion.

• The same study conducted by Ben Barry reveals that when customers identify with the models, purchase intent increases by about 200%.On the contrary, the purchase intention decreases by 60% if the model is thinner or younger, and increases by 175% if the model corresponds to the user's age.
• These experiences allow consumers to be more confident about their purchases. By visualizing a models that looks like them, they can imagine and project themselves in the place of this model.As previously mentioned, users are less hesitant to put items in the cart, which increases conversion by 25%.

In early March 2021, retail giant Walmart also launched a new virtual fitting experience on its e-commerce:

In this experience, consumers can choose the model that best suits them with a "Choose my model" call to action.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sofia-Jeans-by-Sofia-Vergara-Women-s-Rosa-High-Rise-Curvy-Ankle-Jeans-with-Fringe-Hem/469557788

‍

Let customers compose outfits that match them to improve the average basket

Another type of virtual fitting experience is the Virtual Styling Room.

With the help of this virtual 2.0. fitting room, consumers will select a model that fits them, but the ultimate goal of this more immersive experience is to compose complete outfits: The Mix&Match.

Mix&Match allows users to compose outfits by matching clothes from different categories.

Virtual Styling Room brings several advantages:

• An increase in projection and conversion in the same way as the "Choose my model" experience seen previously.
• An increase in the average shopping basket, as the Mix&Match allows users to view many possible combinations of clothing.
• By seeing complete outfits that match what they are looking for or imagining, they are more likely to put multiple pieces in the cart, increasing up-sell and cross-sell.The average purchase basket can therefore be increased by 15% in this type of experience.

At the end of 2020, it was the Californian start-up Revery AI that launched this type of experience with the marketplace StyleMyle.

With a "Virtual Dressing Room" call to action on a garment selection, a window opens to allow users to view the chosen pieces on different mannequins. A selection of mannequins is available according to skin color.

https://stylemyle.com/shop/products/versace-jeans-couture-baroque-print-shirt-bb825619-4728-4fa8-b90e-91fa185a1d51

Veesual has also developed a Virtual Styling Room of this type for a French designer, Marine Henrion :

https://marinehenrion.com/en/mix-and-match/

‍

In this experience, consumers have the choice between 3 models with different morphologies, they can visualize any garment of the collection and compose the outfits of their choice on these models.

The navigation between the different pieces of the collection is done via "swipe" navigation. This new way of browsing is more fun and differentiating for consumers.

This experience fits perfectly on mobile, where 70% of fashion purchases are made and where social networks mainly dominate the consumer landscape.

Reproduce the best in-store customer experience virtually to limit returns

However, both types of experiences presented above do not address a key problem with online shopping: the difficulty for consumers to find the right size.

As mentioned earlier in this article, it is difficult to know how a garment will physically fit on a body when received. But it is possible to find a beginning of solution to this problem with size recommendation tools.

Various players offer size recommendation solutions, such as Fitle, Fitizzy, FitAnalytics or TrueFit.

‍

Each player has a different algorithm, but each size recommendation technology works by adapting to the information provided by consumers.

Depending on the age, weight, height of the users, body mass index and morphology, this data is analyzed to propose the best possible size according to the cut of the clothes.

Style.me is a company offering such a solution. With a call to action "Find my fit" users can access a console to fill in their height, weight and measurements.

The app then allows users to customize an all-white "stockman", and dress it up with different pieces from the collection. When selecting the item, a size is recommended by the app.

‍

This experience has many benefits for consumers, however it is limited by the visualization of a "stockman" that does not actually represent consumers during the purchase.

What are the benefits of the different virtual fitting experiences?

In conclusion, in 2022, some virtual fitting experiences allow :

• Users can choose the models in which they identify and project themselves. This improves the conversion of e-commerce sites.
• To choose clothes on these models and compose any outfit with pieces from different categories. This increases the average shopping cart.
• To recommend the best size to users to guide their choices. This allows us to solve a return problem.

An ultimate virtual fitting experience would then consist of these three elements.

At Veesual, we can help you create the ideal experience for your consumers by combining the expertise of the best players in the market.