How it's getting easier to 'try clothes on' online

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April 25, 2000
Web posted at: 9:49 a.m. EDT (1349 GMT)

by Lain Chroust Ehmann

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(IDG) -- When it comes to giving consumers the goods, nothing's as important as getting the size right. Sites are coming up with creative ways to make sure the customer's shoe -- or shirt, or nylons or hat -- fits. Options for helping consumers determine size range from standard charts to more creative -- and high-tech -- options.

On the low-tech side, the 25,000 unique weekly visitors to Lids.com, the Web site for the world's largest hat retailer, can download and print a "Melon Meter" measuring tape to determine fit to the closest 1/8 of an inch.

"Unaided consumer awareness of hat size is under 10 percent," says Ben Fischman, Lids founder and VP of marketing. "The Melon Meter is integral to Lids' success. ... Customers need to know their hat sizes to ensure satisfaction with their purchases." Melon Meter, a "home-grown" feature, is definitely boosting sales. "More than 60 percent of all merchandise at Lids.com is fitted."

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On the other end of the spectrum are solutions like MySize.com. Launching this summer, the system "measures" the body from images captured with a digital camera at a brick-and-mortar store or in the customer's home. These measurements are matched to the pattern-storage systems of participating retailers in order to electronically select the size that best fits, says President Jim Gentry. Though no partnerships have been announced, Gentry says MySize is talking with "most of the major apparel retailers that have a strong Internet presence."

Although nothing can replicate the experience of trying on clothing, My Virtual Model from Quebec's Public Technologies Multimedia, offers what the company thinks is the next best thing: a virtual mannequin, adjusted to the shopper's proportions. Available on LandsEnd.com, the interactive 3D software application runs on graphics-capable browsers without additional plug-in software.

"People online need a mirror. How can you buy clothes if you cannot see what they look like on you?" asks Louise Guay, president of Public Technologies Multimedia. Models are currently available only for women, but Guay envisions models for men and children, with customization options for ethnicity and age. And when more sites are My Virtual Model-enabled -- at a startup cost of $300,000 to $500,000 -- Guay says the mannequins can be taken from site to site, or e-mailed to friends and family for easy gift shopping.

Jeremy Hauser, a research and analysis specialist for Lands' End, says the technology -- branded as "Your VirtualModel" on LandsEnd.com -- "is a way to enable human touch over the Internet." He adds that the site's customers have created more than 400,000 models since the feature debuted in November 1998.

Though Lands' End has not determined whether Your Virtual Model has contributed to a lower online shopping return rate or directly impacted sales in any way, that wasn't the main purpose. "The real goal has not necessarily been to increase sales, but to make it more interesting for shoppers," says Hauser. "We wanted a feature that made it easier for shoppers to mix and match clothing and interact with the site."

Whether it's sizing services, color improvements or other image optimization techniques, anything retailers can do to take some of the uncertainty out of online shopping will ultimately make customers more comfortable with the experience.

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