Everyone has been on the bandwagon of online shopping since the 2020 pandemic. No one is giving up on digital purchasing. But, it has an obvious downside– being unable to try out the products before buying them.

However, also known as “try-before-buy” technology, Virtual clothing try-on has taken our online shopping experience one step ahead.

The breakthrough virtual try-on technology makes it possible to try on almost anything in just a few seconds – from makeup, jewelry, and glasses to clothes and shoes. And since eCommerce sales are going double with the inception of virtual try-on, soon, you won’t be viewing it as a luxury but as an entail.

What is a Virtual Try-On Technology?

You would’ve been familiar with virtual try-on technology if you had ever used Snapchat.

Virtual try-on combines computer vision, Artificial intelligence (AI), algorithms, augmented reality (AR), or virtual reality (VR) to provide an immersive user experience.

Virtual clothing try-on means you can try on any clothes virtually using your phones or tablets. It makes you swipe through various colorways and patterns for the clothes. Online stores offer virtual try-on on their websites, in their apps, or through their social media.

You can see how these clothes will look on you or your avatar — empowering you to know if something fits or not without having to put it on physically.

Knowing how your desired product fits you increase the chances of buying it and being satisfied with the purchase. It makes the overall user experience better and more personalized. It makes you more likely to buy from the same brand again, from the comfort of your home.

Brands are now in the vogue of offering an immersive shopping experience on their digital channels. Virtual try-on is an immense opportunity for them to get closer to their customers on their favorite platforms.

How Virtual Try-On Work?

Virtual try-on combines AR and computer vision. AR superimposes a realistic, virtual product version on top of its real image, displaying how that product would look on you. It layers visuals over the real-world environment with a device’s camera.

The camera gadget captures and detects more than 99 points on your body, empowering virtual try-on technology to track any change in your body’s position in real-time.

The immersive AR technology ensures the chosen product stays in place even when you move your head or body – as if looking into a mirror. You just need to turn on the camera – everything else is automated.

Virtual try-on, however, is personalized for each brand. A successful virtual try-on offers real feels and is easy to use. It caters to a brand’s specific goals.

Various Types of Virtual Clothing Try On

There are different types of virtual try-on:

  • In-Store Virtual Fitting Rooms

These are virtual clothing try-on rooms — you can try on items you like without touching them. The powerful AR, AI, and gesture recognition technology places clothing items over smart mirrors in stores. With these mirrors, you can check the size, style, and fit of the clothes you’re about to purchase, eliminating the fatigue of changing clothes frequently.

  • Mobile Virtual Try-On

Working on a similar pattern of in-store virtual fitting rooms, mobile virtual try-on apps allow you to see yourself in the desired outfit but on your smartphone screen.

Every virtual try-on app offers various features. Some require you to upload photos or videos to provide personalization. You can change colors and styles with a tap. Some apps allow you to share your virtual look with your loved ones via social media.

  • Desktop Virtual Try-On Plugins

During online shopping, desktop try-on plugins act as digital mirrors. It helps you to see if a product looks good on you or not with a live webcam feed or your real-time photo. Also, You can swipe different dress colors to choose the best one for you.

Whatever the type is, the goal is the same — to create a more personalized and engaging shopping experience, both online and in-store.

Virtual try-on, however, is personalized for each brand. A successful virtual try-on offers real feels and is easy to use. It caters to a brand’s specific goals.

Also, Check out our immersive, Tap and try virtual shopping solution.

Advantages of Virtual Try-On Technology

The “try before buy” technology brings numerous advantages, including seamless shopping and a better brand experience being its top advantages.

Let’s have a look at the detailed advantages of virtual try-on technology.

Easy Cross-Selling

If a customer is looking for a trendy top, you can suggest matching jeans or a bag from your online store. AR will help you display and recommend a complementary product. Smart mirrors will help customers see them in the perfect outfit with the right accessories, from head to toe.

This combo offers to help you ace a competitive edge in the eCommerce space. Cross-selling the products with VTO helps you welcome new customers and reduces their decision fatigue.

Fun Experiences

You can share virtually created looks with family and friends and ask for their opinions. Like playing with Snapchat and Instagram filters, you can share as many countenances as you want, whether you are shopping online or in-store.

Time-Saving

VTOs save you from hectic traffic and peak shopping hours in-store. Try the product peacefully, anywhere, anytime, without physically showing up at the store. Get the product delivered right to your doorstep.

Brand Loyalty

Offering your customers a seamless, virtual try-on experience benefits your business with a more loyal customer base in the long run. Moreover, it increases your brand’s reputation and recall value. You are more likely to buy from a store again if you have had a smooth and satisfying experience.

Digital Inventory

Retailers can showcase all products digitally. However, it wasn’t possible without AR. Perhaps that’s why 63% of customers said AR would improve their shopping experience. When shoppers have many options available in one place, they prefer to shop from there.

Customers can select the best-fit product for them within the entire collection. Furthermore, Digital inventory gives retailers an edge over those who don’t utilize the VTO technology.

Boosting Sales

Interactive and fun shopping experiences boost sales. Virtual clothing Tryon increases the chances of spending more money on clothes and other products. VTO fascinates shoppers, inspiring them to discover and buy more of their favorite products. 61% of online shoppers prefer to shop with AR try-on to get a more personalized experience.

Decrease Returns

Most customers have had the unfortunate experience of buying something that looks perfect on the model but not on them. As a result, it makes them return the product and consider online shopping a risk not worth taking. Since the VTO is in-game, the return rate is decreased significantly. It lets you see how a certain product will look, making your buying decisions crystal clear.

How are High-End Brands Taking the Try-On Technology?

Leading apparel brands are unlocking the potential of VTO to the fullest through an array of magic mirrors, body scanning, and virtual clothes fitting app solutions.

Gucci

The Italian high-end luxury fashion house Gucci promoted their new sneaker collection in collaboration with Snapchat. To introduce their newly launched AR shoe try-on globally, they created AR lenses (filters) on Snapchat. You can use these filters to see how sneakers will look on your feet. Furthermore, Snapchat users could go straight to Gucci’s website via the lens to purchase after trying out different sneakers.

The virtual trying-on campaign brings about an astounding amount of sales, attention, and engagement for the brand. This impressive success provokes Gucci to build a virtual wearable sneaker, Gucci Virtual 25. You could only wear these neon-colored training sneakers in a virtual environment after purchasing them from Gucci’s app.

H&M

H&M’s virtual try-on provides an opportunity to try on matching styles of 30 apparel pieces on a user’s personal avatar from their new collection. Customers can view and try the collection rightly fitted to their body sizes without spending a penny. Shoppers can leverage the brand’s virtual try-on from the comfort of their homes and digital fitting rooms outside the H&M outlets.

FarFetch

Since Snapchat is a pioneer in the AR realm. It motivates FarFetch to collaborate with it.

Farfetch’s VTO technology simply requires you to stand in front of its camera and says, for instance, “Show me a bomber jacket with a pattern.” AR then chooses a perfect match of the desired product from the brand’s product catalog and puts it on the customer’s body, giving a better idea of how it will look on them.

You can switch outfits using voice commands and share looks. Also, make purchases directly within Snapchat.

Prada

Prada shoppers can now virtually try on its various bags with Snapchat’s try-on tool. But instead of body or face posture, Prada’s VTO technology uses hand gesture technology. When you move your hand, the camera gets a signal and displays a bag on your body. Moreover, you can swipe your hand to see variations in the bag.

Winding up

VTO technology has huge potential. Initially, leveraging AR technology for the fashion industry was not even near reality. But now, AR has sped up the transformation of brick-and-mortar stores to digital — made shopping experiences irreversible. Thus, customer satisfaction and brand loyalty bar are higher than ever.

Virtual clothing try-on experiences are getting better bit by bit — so you need to be as immersive as possible to keep yourself in the fashion realm. “Immersive” is the word that would define your eCommerce success.

For fashion brands ready to embrace virtual try-on, the first step is to create 3D models of their product catalog. Something that only Revolve AI can help. Why not reach out to us now?