Mirror, Mirror on the Wall…

In an effort to compete with online retailers’ ability to gather information and recommend products to their buyers, upscale brick-and-mortar retailers are upgrading their fitting rooms with high tech mirrors that offer similar capabilities. Shoppers who try on clothes are nearly twice as likely to make a purchase as those who just browse. But only about 28 percent of shoppers at a typical clothing store ever walk into a dressing room, often because customers have a perception that fitting rooms are dingy, dimly lit spaces with poor (if any) service. But that could change thanks to some innovative new technologies.

The Memory Mirror features an advancement called virtual dressing that uses simple body gestures to change outfits, display 360 degree views and make side-by-side comparisons. Users must register and provide an email address to use the mirror’s features, however all data collected remains anonymous.

The Magic Mirror recommends selections based on gender, which is automatically recognized when they enter the dressing room. It also incorporates a feature that allows customers to purchase items directly from the mirror and have them shipped to their home.

Yet another approach utilizes radio frequency identification (RFID) embedded in the clothing tags. Customers indicate which items they would like to try on, and the sales clerk sends them a text message when the fitting room is ready. And it seems to be working. The two pilot test sites are selling clothing at a rate two-and-a-half times faster than they projected.