Online brands are starting to recognise the appetite for personalised shopping experiences and one of the most significant changes in the fashion industry is the demand for more personal try-on experiences.
In a Shopify survey taken at the end of 2020, 59% of users said that they welcomed personalised product recommendations, and brands that target millennials saw the number jump to 78%. According to Salesforce 57% of online buyers are happy to exchange personal data in return for individually customised offers, discounts, and experiences, and note that personalisation is extremely important to them when choosing to buy from a company.
But personalisation is about more than just product recommendations, with brands beginning to extend personalisation features post-purchase such as sending shoppers emails to let them know their favourite styles are back in stock, alerting them to new product launches, and letting them know when sales go live.
Some fashion stores, however, are going even further by allowing customers to see themselves in outfits before they’ve bought the item or even made an in-store visit. This is especially important considering the recent events which have essentially erased face-to-face experiences, and, now more than ever, stores are assessing their business’ marketing and personalisation efforts.
Fashion brands have the biggest opportunity for online personalisation. A consumer report from Narvar in 2019 showed that 46% of returns are due to unsuitable colours, fit, or sizing. The demand for personal online experiences has not gone unnoticed by tech companies such as Anthropics Technology, who have recently developed Zyler, a virtual try-on solution that allows users to swipe through outfits as themselves using state-of-the-art AI technology.
With Zyler, customers can see themselves in items before they buy meaning that they will get a better idea of what the outfit will look like on them. This takes into account aspects such as how the colour looks on their skin tone, hair colour, and body shape. Zyler even automatically adjusts hemlines, cut, and sleeve lengths to fine-tune the results.
Highly personalised experiences are hard for competitors. Retailers can stand out from the crowd by using Zyler’s innovative technology to provide the next level of customer experience. Retailers opting to include their outfits in Zyler’s swipe app see the tool increasing product visibility and beginning to drive sales and reduce returns. By acting as a product discovery app, Zyler introduces its users to new brands and styles whilst also acting as a fun new way to shop and try on clothes. Moreover, research has proved that more personalised shopping experiences drive customer loyalty and brand interaction.
Zyler’s customized approach also offers the opportunity to cross channels with shoppers discovering different outfits and sharing them with their friends, whilst also having the added advantage of seeing themselves in the outfits before they buy them. This means that shoppers can use the app to plan outfits for events, shop for their friends and share their results on social media. By swiping through outfits on Zyler, the customer journey can be an individual and efficient experience, transforming the impact of each visit.
The future has arrived and retailers must now take advantage of available technology such as Zyler, making personalisation a priority in order to succeed in the new era of shopping.
