Every retailer and brand will need a 3D scanner?

by ELSE Research

Imagine walking into your favorite clothing store and they know exactly what size you are without having to try on dozens of different pieces. Fast, accurate and easy. Seems like a dream, but the future is making this happen.

And no, this is not another “see-now-buy-now” strategy some labels use. That is a logistical nightmare according to Tom Ford and other luxury brands. And be honest, see-now-buy-now goes against the ideal of luxury.

We are talking about a body scanner implemented in stores to choose your new item, which is more successful as a real business strategy. This includes a scanner and measurement extraction software. The scanner extracts hundreds of images of the individual and the software automatically extracts thousands of measurements. The consumer’s measurements are taken through the scanner digitally and a digital twin is created by the computer on the screen. Based on this image on screen, the computer confines all the measurements that match almost with the consumers actual, individual measurements.

The IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) recently formed this 3D Body Processing initiative, where the CEO of ELSE Corp, Andrey Golub, is also part of. Other members are stakeholders from technology companies, clothing retailers, research organizations,… to complete the perfect team.

By the time standards ensure hardware and software unity, 3D body scanners make it possible for shoppers to buy clothes that fit and look good on their body type. They’ll even be able to virtually check the fit of the apparel that has been designed but not yet manufactured. Brands and retailers could satisfy their customers’ needs, because there won’t be any time wasted on fitting.

3D body scanning and digitized images are used in mass customization of apparels, where the consumer is measured three dimensional, and through the digitized image seen on the computer screen, a garment can be chosen with a style that goes with choice.

The presence of body scanners in retail clothing stores brings a new level of engagement to the shopping experience and provides consumers, with realistic and interactive visual views, a sense of style on one hand and a better view of how garments fit their bodies, on the other.

Members of IEEE-SA say body scans also would open up opportunities for “immersive shopping”. Customers could use virtual reality to see how clothes look on avatars that resemble them and move as they do. Manufacturers could use such virtual shopping to assess customer acceptance of designs before mass-producing them.

This solution makes the use of it simple and inexpensive. The body is the last piece of information to go digital. Most of your life is already digital – your friends, your music, your bank account – all accessible on-line, but your body is not. Now, body scanning becomes a powerful platform for many retailers to provide the personalized fit and service their customers have always wanted.

It’s very accurate to be targeting and solving a problem that the industry is facing right now. Customers though, appear to really embrace the technology, also in fashion. And it will gain even more acceptance if it is integrated into existing personal data.

For the apparel retailing industry, the new body scanning technology has the potential to provide new levels of personalized customer service in stores and increase on-line sales. It could also prove to be the solution to reduce the number of returned clothes due to incorrect fit. With a body scanner, it will be easy for the shop assistants to see what looks good on you based on your body type. It optimizes the time, instead of trying on different outfits.

It is frequent that up to half of the clothes bought online are returned to the seller, mostly because they are the wrong size. To solve this problem the industry should be provided with a tool that gives consistent advice, fast and reliable for the customers. Between 20% to 40% of all on-line clothing purchases are returned to the retailer because they don’t fit.

Technology has already caught the attention of various luxury brands, like Scabal on London’s Saville Row. When scanners give you the measurements, they give you everything you need. And that’s just the part of the truth. Next to measurements, it gives you the perfect fit, comfort, your own taste, and so on.

Customers want to be close to a brand and want them to understand their needs. See how a machine can do all that?
A better fit, will be a better business and once implemented, technology will solve all the problems of shopping.

more info: www.else-corp.com/technology