How Virtual Trial Rooms Will Revolutionize Fashion Trial
The world around us is rapidly undergoing great change. Most of which can be owned to technological advancements. While it still continues to ride on the wave of innovation and the
ease it brings with it, today, the dependence on smart solutions and advancements has increased
even more - thanks to the tormenting pandemic.
Most industries across categories have come to a standstill and their only ray of hope is to
integrate technological innovations to overcome social distancing protocols. All so that they can
bounce back to life. The fashion industry too is on the same lookout.
But, thankfully, there’s a smart solution that is lurking around. One that has the potential to
generate business, in fact, even revolutionise the fashion retail segment like never before - both,
for now, and for the years to come.
Presenting the virtual trial room
The virtual room is a game changer for the retail industry. Using advanced augmented reality and
artificial intelligence techniques, it brings the physical shopping experience of trying different
clothes at a store to your phone.
It offers a whole new perspective on shopping, more-so on shopping online. Until now, clothes
were presented as images on models posing in front of the camera. Users could only see these
models and second guess how the same clothes would look or fit on them. Among many other
things, virtual trial rooms step in to make a huge difference here.
It allows users to create their own 3D avatar that matches their physical appearance. From the
height, shoulder-length to waist size and other fine details, the virtual trial room lets users create
a digital avatar that is exactly like their physical appearance.
WonderFashion goes even a step beyond and lets users upload their selfie. This selfie is then
rendered on to the 3D digital avatar to allow users to create their digital twin. By offering a
hyper-realistic model that interacts in realtime lighting, it presents users an ultra-realistic
experience.
How this works
The virtual trial room renders the brands wardrobe in 3D. So, when a user selects a particular
piece of clothing, WonderFashion’s virtual mannequin juxtaposes the users’ selection on to their
digital avatar to allow users to see exactly how a particular garment looks on them.
The 3D avatar is appears in augmented, so the users enjoy a 360-degree view and also get to see
the clothes’ tiniest details in great resolution. This way, the virtual trial room recreates the
complete shopping experience within a digital sphere. Its realistic experience seamlessly
persuades users to make accurate purchasing decisions.
The online or virtual trial room by WonderFashion has been designed in such a way that it works
easily on most smartphones. After the application is launched, the program identifies a flat
surface to spew the digital avatar. After which, users can pick their choice of clothing and
explore different options. This way, the online trial room rolls out a seamless, engaging and easy
shopping experience to its users.
This solution finds relevance even in on-ground retail outlets. Sales personnel can hand over
tablets or mobile phones with this application installed to their customers. Customers can create
their digital avatar, go through the entire brand’s wardrobe, trail the clothes they like in
augmented reality and proceed to the billing counter. Brands can even integrate and create
different styles and combinations to upsell more.
For brands too, this solution comes in handy. Digital mannequins can be created for customers to
interact and engage with. Retail players can create styles and display them on to these virtual
mannequins, which can be used as tools for marketing to grab the attention of the user.
Furthermore, during turbulent times like today, when the COVID pandemic has left governments
issuing strict social distancing protocols, this solution offers fashion players big respite. These
smart, contactless trial rooms mitigate the risk of the spread of the virus and ensure a safe
shopping experience.
What it changes
Traditionally, going shopping meant just one thing: taking a few hours off your busy schedule to
visit your favourite store and trying on different outfits before you pick the one that you like the
most. Later, gradually the trend of online shopping caught up. By scrolling through the endless
wardrobes of different brands on your phone, you could purchase the piece of clothing you liked
and wait for it to be delivered to your home.
With virtual clothes trial, consumers can trial in an instant and shop from the comfort of their
home. By offering virtual clothes fitting options, one no longer needs to spend hours wading
through traffic or wait for their delivery to arrive to trial.
In this process, virtual trial rooms also address a great challenge that’s commonly faced by
brands today: the ‘returns issue.’ With digital mannequins, since the user has the tools required to
see their selection of clothing in its original form, in great clarity and under dynamic lighting, it
is less likely that the product once ordered is returned. This saves a lot of money for brands,
which can be invested in other streams of the business.
Come to think of it, this unique solution has the potential to be applicable in different segments
of the retail industry. It enjoys several use-cases ranging from apparel and jewellery to cosmetics,
footwear and much more. With endless possibilities, this virtual trial room can step in to
reimagine several industries to make the customer experience much more enjoyable.
The way ahead
The virtual trial room is a smart revolution in the retail segment. Unlike the Magic Mirror, which
works on 2D and requires more investment and additional hardware, WonderFashion’s virtual
trial room has been designed to integrate with any platform seamlessly. It gives an extra
dimension for users to see and validate their choice and make accurate purchases.
With the technological advancements taking place around us, we are sure that with time and
more adoption, this solution will be enhanced further to offer many more advantages. Today,
having gained validation from several big players of the retail industry, it will not come as a
surprise if we come across a Myntra virtual trial room or Amazon’s own virtual trial room. An
innovative solution, this is the shopping experience from the future.