Guess streamlines merchandising with digital store replicas
Guess Inc. is taking a virtual approach to visual merchandising.
The global vertical fashion retailer is utilizing Matterport “digital twin” technology to provide brand consistency across its stores and create immersive, virtual experiences for employees, external buyers, and wholesale partners. Since 2017, Guess has used Matterport digital twins, or photorealistic digital replicas of stores.
As a result, the retailer has obtained a 200% increase in productivity, a 30% decrease in travel costs, and a 95% reduction in departmental paper and printer ink costs. In addition, by equipping employees with iPad tablets and the Bigtincan sales enablement solution, Guess was able to replace in-person store and showroom visits with virtual experiences, as well as train and collaborate remotely with staff.
To ensure global brand consistency across stores, Guess configures new layouts and displays in a mock store at its corporate headquarters. The retailer captures a digital twin of its sample space with a Matterport camera and then shares it with store managers globally to replicate the experience of an in-person visit.
With digital twins, Guess can remotely share new collections and convey detailed product information, enabling buyers to view a garment from any angle, zoom in for closer inspection, and make direct purchases. Since adopting digital twins, the retailer has doubled its number of showroom appointments and significantly reduced the air travel previously required for its staff and wholesale customers.
To provide detailed instructions for store teams, each digital twin contains “Mattertags” – color-coded, visual tags anchored to a specific product and embedded with audio, video, or detailed notes from corporate headquarters. Equipped with iPads, Guess store teams can view their Matterport digital twins directly through the Bigtincan sales enablement platform and central content hub. Now, retail associates can make merchandising updates on the fly and onboard new employees with 3D visuals that demonstrate brand guidelines and in-store layouts.
“Brick-and-mortar retailers still face a lot of uncertainty, but digital twins have enabled us to streamline our operations worldwide and build exciting, virtual experiences that set us up for long-term success,” said Jacklyn De Antunano, project manager, training and development, Guess. “Whether we are onboarding new employees or making updates to our store displays, brand consistency is crucial. With Matterport digital twins, merchandising teams at our Los Angeles headquarters can set clear directives for our stores worldwide, while new hires can more easily familiarize themselves with our brand. In addition, creating digital twins of our showrooms help us provide a seamless, virtual experience for buyers.”
“The retail landscape has shifted, and Matterport digital twins are helping traditional, brick-and-mortar retailers innovate their solutions to connect virtually with internal and external stakeholders,” said Stephanie Lin, senior director, Global Retail Strategy for Matterport. “Guess demonstrates the multiple use cases for digital twins across the retail industry. From creating a consistent brand experience at the store level to powering new, remote experiences for buyers, Guess has leveraged Matterport to unlock a truly omnichannel experience.”
Guess upgrades from spreadsheets during pandemic
In another digital merchandising transformation, Guess implemented Centric planning technology in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. By shifting planning activities from manual spreadsheets, the company can now more easily update range or assortment planning all the way up the merchandise plan, and having local country managers work directly within the solution to select their preferred collections. In addition, production costs have improved because Guess has been able to consolidate product development for all regions into one single line.