Intellifit: Dressing Room of the Future
One of the biggest consumer complaints in the apparel industry is that shoppers cannot find clothing that fits them. In fact, up to 84% of women alone claim they are unable to find clothing that fits, according to the most recent information from The NPD Group.
Intellifit’s virtual fitting rooms, which first launched at retail outlets just a few years ago, help combat that problem by helping consumers find clothing that fits them at that store. Retailers such as Levi’s, Lane Bryant, Catherine’s and David’s Bridal have all used Intellifit’s fitting rooms to help their consumers find their perfect fit either in stores or promotionally.
“We have found that no matter where we go, there’s an incredible amount of consumer interest,” said Rob Weber, president of Intellifit. “Consumers get excited, and many times there will be a line to use the fitting rooms.”
Intellifit’s virtual fitting rooms take more than just waist and hip measurements. They perform a three-dimensional body scan that takes measurements from more than 200 places on the body in just 10 seconds. The machine analyzes more than 200,000 data points in order to calculate those measurements. It then offers suggestions on which clothing sizes would best fit the consumer based on those measurements.
The virtual fitting room works its magic by sending safe, low-power radio waves toward the person’s clothed body, Weber said. The vertical “wand” in the virtual fitting room contains 196 small antennas that send and receive low-power radio waves. The signals don’t “see” the person’s clothing and reflect off the person’s skin to give back measurements. These measurements are then put together in a consumer profile, called a “FitPrint.”
The FitPrint is automatically uploaded to Intellifit’s Web site, where consumers can access their own personal profile. He or she can log on with a username and password provided at the time of measurement to access fit recommendations as well as all measurements taken during his or her fit session.
Intellifit has partnered on its Web site with retailers such as Nordstrom, JoS. A. Bank and Gap, and apparel brands such as Polo, Nautica, Lands’ End and Dockers, so that consumers can order men’s custom-fit jeans, polo shirts, pants and tailored shirts from these companies using their FitPrints. Weber said that he expects women’s apparel items to be available on the Web site soon, as well.
“This is something that we’ve just recently launched, and it’s being received well,” Weber said. “It takes a lot of the edge off of customers who order clothing online, because they know before they order any clothing that it will fit them perfectly.”
In addition to working with retailers, Intellfit has also begun testing its fitting rooms at major international airports. The first virtual fitting room landed in the Philadelphia International Airport in late March, but Weber said that fitting rooms at other major airports, like Newark International and Baltimore/Washington International, are other possibilities.
“With people arriving at airports earlier since Sept. 11, they are looking for something to do—getting their measurements and clothing suggestions is like killing two birds with one stone,” Weber said.