Straight to the point
When it comes to online shopping, virtual fitting rooms greatly improve the experience for shoppers.
They help customers pick out the right size quickly and easily, which translates into more conversions and big money saved on returns and exchanges.
If you’re not already concerned about reducing your return rates, consider that in 2023, returns could cost the footwear and apparel market an estimated $38 billion in returns and $25.1 billion in processing costs.
In this article, we’ll discuss virtual fitting rooms, how they work, and how they can help prevent exchanges and returns due to size and fit issues.
WHAT IS A VIRTUAL FITTING ROOM?
A virtual fitting room is software that gives shoppers size recommendations based on data they input, like height, weight, and age. They help clear up user confusion with regard to size and fit when shopping for clothes and shoes.
There are several types of virtual fitting rooms (we discuss each one in depth in this e-book), but the most conventional solutions are those that generate a recommendation based on measurements given by customers.
Virtual fitting rooms are usually used in conjunction with the size charts available in most online fashion retailers, which serve as an alternative for customers to pick their size using measurements.
HOW MUCH DO VIRTUAL FITTING ROOMS COST?
Virtual fitting room solutions range from freeware to SaaS models, so pricing also varies considerably.
If you’re looking to implement a virtual fitting room in your e-commerce store, make sure to compare the solutions available on the market and look for one that aligns with your business objectives.
If you’d like to learn more about Sizebay’s virtual fitting room, feel free to schedule a demo!
HOW DO VIRTUAL FITTING ROOMS WORK?
Sizebay’s Size and Fit Advisor uses a two-step process to make size recommendations.
User data: First, users enter basic measurements, like height, weight, and age, which they should know without the need for measuring.
With this information, our algorithm uses anthropometric concepts to estimate the customer’s individual chest, bust, waist, and hip sizes.
Size recommendation: The algorithm compares the estimated body size with the product size charts that brands provide. The tool finds a “match” between estimated body sizes and size charts to provide size and fit recommendations.
7 REASONS TO IMPLEMENT A VIRTUAL FITTING ROOM
1. MORE SECURITY, MORE CONVERSIONS
When it comes to online shopping, people expect to get what they want quickly and easily.
Offering a virtual fitting room in your online store eliminates confusion related to choosing a size. It also engages potential buyers and makes them feel confident about their decisions..
When purchasing online, customer confidence is essential. When customers know they can buy from your store without the inconvenience and stress of buying the wrong size, it creates a sense of trust and security and increases the likelihood of them making repeat purchases.
2. FEWER EXCHANGES AND RETURNS
As we already discussed in the beginning of this article, exchanges and returns are expensive for e-commerce fashion retailers and can reduce profits by up to 6%.
Since virtual fitting rooms help customers buy the right size, they greatly reduce exchanges and returns due to size and fit. And fewer exchanges and returns is great for your bottom line!
3. AVERAGE TICKET VALUE GROWTH
The added confidence that shoppers feel when using a virtual fitting room, also positively impacts average ticket value. With accurate size recommendations, shoppers feel more confident to buy more expensive items, and the results reflect that.
Riachuelo, one of the largest online retailers in Brazil, increased its average ticket value by 2.27% after implementing Sizebay. For large e-commerce businesses, this increase translates to huge revenue growth.
Read the complete case of Riachuelos here.
4. REPURCHASE GROWTH
Satisfied customers tend to do repeat business.
When brands implement virtual fitting rooms as a means of offering a customized shopping experience that considers differences in body shape and size, they satisfy more customers.
Virtual fitting rooms are key in providing personalized experiences, which are highly valued and considered one of the main concerns for the present and future of e-commerce.
5. AN IMPROVED UX IN THE CUSTOMER JOURNEY
Offering an easy and practical personalized shopping experience is one of the greatest challenges in providing a good user experience in fashion e-commerce.
Since virtual fitting rooms use user-inputted data, recommendations are personalized and aimed at specific bodies.
Virtual fitting rooms are also easy to use and allow shoppers to determine the right size to order in just a few clicks.
6. MORE DATA TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS
One of the biggest advantages of implementing a virtual fitting room in your online fashion store are the data and insights it’ll provide
Data about your business: Sizebay provides customers reports that join different key metrics from user and billing information linked to the generated size recommendations.
In reports, customers can access data and metrics like:
- Recommendations;
- Size chart requests;
- Which products had the most size recommendations;
- Billing, average ticket, among others.
This kind of data provides strategic insights for decision making at all levels, from managers and coordinators, to e-commerce analysts.
Data for better and more personalized campaigns: Since the data collected by Sizebay are events sent to customers’ Google Analytics accounts, they can be used to enrich e-commerce traffic campaigns.
7. GREATER ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
Lastly, but increasingly important for so many customers, reducing exchanges and returns also results in fewer greenhouse gas emissions released due to reverse logistics.
Sustainability has been an increasingly competitive differentiator for many online fashion retailers around the world. The sustainability argument can (and should) be used in communication and branding to appeal to demanding audiences.
IMPLEMENT A VIRTUAL FITTING ROOM IN YOUR E-COMMERCE STORE
Hopefully you now have a clearer understanding of what virtual fitting rooms are and how implementing one can yield positive results for your online store.
There are plenty of solutions available on the market which means you can find the perfect tool for any type of online store.
If you’re interested in learning more about Sizebay’s flexible and competitive plans, just schedule a conversation!
