When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the fashion world was forced to pivot quickly in its operations. However, even before Coronavirus, sales were falling in bricks and mortar stores and fashion brands were looking at technology to adapt to a fast-changing retail environment.
At the start of 2020, when stores closed in real life and online shopping sales surged, many brands realized this was a crucial time to introduce the new tech available to keep customers interested and, most importantly, keep them spending.
Fashion and beauty brands updated their websites and apps with new features and offered virtual appointments to inform and entice customers to shop as they normally would, all from the comfort of their own homes. Here are some of the ways the fashion world is embracing tech and adapting for the future:
Virtual Try-On
While online shopping has overtaken traditional retail in recent years, some shoppers will argue that trying clothes before buying is a key factor in their decision to visit stores. To adapt to this, the introduction of virtual try-on apps has recently grown in popularity.
Meepl is a virtual fitting room app that uses AI. The technology lets users create a 3D avatar based on their body measurements which can virtually try on clothes from several well-known fashion companies. This helps to deliver a personalized shopping experience for the customer, without ever having to step into a store. Meepl can also use your data and photos to make size recommendations when shopping. It is estimated that using a virtual fitting room makes customers 30% more likely to make a purchase and also reduces returns by 50%.
Virtual Appointments
The luxury goods market has been hit particularly hard by the closure of retail stores as these brands rely heavily on customer footfall and sales driven by tourism. As many people have been unable to travel throughout the pandemic, brands such as Gucci are offering online styling sessions and a “digital showroom experience” where a Gucci advisor will present products live on a video call, focusing on every detail of the item.
Chanel is offering a similar online boutique appointment service, something the fashion giant deemed necessary when stores closed. Chanel products (excluding sunglasses, fragrance and cosmetics) have never previously been available to buy online to ensure the exclusivity of the brand.
Augmented Reality
Augmented reality apps such as Wanna have partnered with the likes of Gucci, Farfetch and Reebok, to allow users to virtually try on sneakers, simply by pointing their camera to their feet. Wanna state “We make fashion available to everyone through digital, yet realistic, total look experiences.”
AR has been popular in the beauty industry for some time, brands such as MAC offer virtual try-on for many of their cosmetics such as eyeshadows, lipstick and mascara. Simply by using your camera or uploading an existing photo, customers can easily try out different beauty looks with no mess or fuss.
Gaming
With the success of the Nintendo Switch throughout Summer 2020 and the sell-out launches of both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, it was only a matter of time before the worlds of gaming and fashion collided. Major fashion brands are now using games to access their customers in a new way.
For SS21, unable to stage a runway show, Balenciaga launched an apocalyptic VR game called Afterworld: The Age of Tomorrow to show their new season collection. Users can guide their avatar through a virtual world of ominous landscapes, all while passing sketchy-looking characters dressed head to toe in new season Balenciaga, of course.
On a much lighter note, designers such as Marc Jacobs and Ganni made their designs available on Nintendo’s Animal Crossing – New Horizons. Players can visit the cute Able Sisters’ tailor’s shop and input specific codes which will allow their islanders to dress in complete runway looks.
