Walmart unveils AR feature to virtually try on clothes
Shoppers with the Walmart app can now virtually try on clothes without leaving the house with the new “be your own model” technique. This feature in the iOS app uses photos of customers and realistically displays clothing thanks to artificial intelligence and smart algorithms.
The technology takes a scan of the customer. It then accurately displays the clothing on the body, complete with shading and flapping of the fabric.
This allows consumers to make comparisons with different versions of the same products and experiment with sizes and colors without going to the store to do so.
Be Your Own Model
It is Walmart’s latest move to let consumers use augmented reality to store in the comfort of their own homes. Earlier, the Walmart company announced “View In Your Space,” which shows what furniture looks like in the living room.
After acquiring Zeekit, a specialist in “try on technology,” the goal is to make home photography as smooth as possible. According to the company, the hardest thing about being your own model is taking a good picture. This app makes it harder to get it wrong than to get it right.
Walmart’s programmers have also managed to make it as energy efficient as possible so shoppers don’t have to worry about a dead battery. “We want customers to spend hours trying on clothes so the battery consumption has to be as low as possible.” Narrated Ainoa.
Shopping in the future is going to happen with AR
The Walmart marketplace already contains more than 270,000 clothing items for women as well as popular brands such as Champion, Levi’s and Hanes. But even with the large online selection and AR features, Incandela expects customers to still show up in stores because shoppers usually want a mix of in-store shopping and online convenience.
Walmart is not the only giant deploying AR for E-commerce, previously Ikea and countless other retailers preceded them. The company is expanding the app to take photos that work through both the Walmart website and the app. The company informs one that an Android version will appear on the Play store in the coming weeks.
