Spotlight on YOOX: Have They Solved the Problem of the Virtual TRY-ON

Have you ever hesitated to buy clothes online because you were worried they might not fit or suit you?

Enter Yoox and their new digital avatar.

Decisions, decisions…

The commercial potential of a virtual try-on is huge.

Brands are falling over themselves to develop technology that allows customers to try-on clothes in a way, crucially, that’s sufficient for them to make a purchasing decision.

By removing this barrier, it makes sense that customers will be more likely to press the magic “Buy” button.

Companies have been exploring different ways of solving this problem but the holy grail is a mixed reality image that somehow virtually blends the user with the clothes - and Yoox have just thrown their hat into the ring.

Yoox

In December 2018 Yoox announced they were launching an AI-enabled digital styling feature that allows users to transform themselves to 3D avatars for virtual try-on.

The feature, called YOOXMIRROR, exists within the retailer’s app, offering a virtual avatar called “Daisy” who can try-on different outfits. Daisy is customisable which means the user can adjust the sex, hair colour and skin tone to match their own features.

Users can mix and match clothing and accessories, as well as share their styled avatar across social media or drop the items straight in their basket to purchase.

As Paolo Mascio explained: “YOOXMIRROR...offers our customers something personalised and memorable which is also a brand-new way to explore the very best of the YOOX catalogue”.

But others are hot on their heels

Yoox is not the only company working to solve the try-on conundrum.

At the beginning of the year Amazon announced they had secured a patent for a mirror that dresses you in virtual clothes. The mirror is partially-reflective and partially-transmissive, using cameras, projectors and displays to create a blended image. It’s believed the mirror will generate a virtual model by scanning the user’s environment, identify the user’s features to reflect back to the user, and transmit the clothes to the mirror to overlay on the user’s image.

Others have tried to overcome the problem by bringing the changing room into the home. The app Try allows you to order and try on clothes at home before buying. As CEO and Co-Founder Ankush Sehgal explained: “Try reduces friction at checkout and makes it super easy to decide what they want to try, similar to an in-store experience”. Unlike other services that allow you to try before you buy, with Try, there are no limitations to what you can add to your cart. You shop at your favourite store in the same way you would in person, not committing to buy until you’ve tried on a series of outfits.

What virtual and digital technologies do you think are disrupting the market right now? In what other ways are eCommerce retailers breaking down the barriers to purchase? We’d love to hear from you.

Email us your thoughts.

Photo by Bea Serendipity.