Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are the new buzzwords of the fashion retail industry. Before you dismiss it to be a fad, AR & VR are both huge industries worth investing expected to reach the value of 60 billion and 34 billion by 2023, respectively.
But can these technologies redefine the realities of a 3 trillion dollars global industry like fashion?
The fashion retail industry integrated smartphones for enhancing the experience of consumers. Apple’s ARKit and Google’s ARCore has simplified AR integration for fashion retail brands.
How AR & VR Helps to Build Future Realities
According to research, around 70% of consumers expect fashion retailers to launch an AR/VR app. Fashion retail brands can harness the power of AR/VR to create a remarkable brand experience for their customers.
Next Level In-Store Experience
Fashion retailers across the world are incorporating AR into their in-store experience. And considering 61% of consumers preferring AR experience over regular in-store experience, it is a smart move. According to a study, customers are ready to pay up to 40% more for the product they experience through AR.
From Lacoste to Timberland, AR technology is helping fashion retail brands to help their customers virtually try the fashion products. Virtual fitting rooms and AR mirrors help customers to check a look at themselves by standing in front of the camera.
Luxury fashion brands like Gucci used both AR and VR to create scannable ads for their spring 2018 campaign – Gucci Hallucination. Zara, a fast-fashion giant, tried their hand on AR technologies by placing AR displays in 120 stores around the globe.
In-Store Feel at Home
AR apps allow the customers to experience products and services within the comforts of their homes. These apps are a proven way to get a virtual in-store experience. The Zara AR app and Sephora AR app helps the customers to test the products on themselves before buying. Other fashion brands like Burberry are also dabbling in AR & VR technologies.
Immersive High-End Fashion
But the fashion industry isn’t just focusing on augmented reality—virtual reality is in the mix too. While AR is a favorite of fashion retail apps, VR is making runway appearances on London Fashion Week AW14, Dior ready-to-wear fashion show and Tommy Hilfiger VR experience. The app allows customers to immerse themselves in high-end fashion.
AR and VR are here to stay. And the fashion retail industry is embracing these two technologies. For me, fashion is not just about creating a look. It’s about expressing yourself and deciding how people experience you as a person. And AR/VR is helping fashion industries to create new realities of enhanced fashion experiences.
We searched for some progressive AR & VR Startups that are incorporating augmented and virtual reality technologies to redefine the future of fashion. Here is the list of some incredible AR & VR Startups and companies that specialize in fashion retail.
ARKit is an augmented reality development platform for iOS mobile devices created by Apple. Recently, ARKit and Burberry partnered to add AR function to its app. The AR feature allows the Burberry app to interacts with users’ camera feeds to add digital components to their surroundings with Burberry-inspired designs.
ARCore is AR experience building platform by Google. ARCore uses APIs that allow the user's phone to sense the surroundings and use this information to add digital components. This platform offers key capabilities including motion tracking, light estimation and environmental understanding that allow virtual content integration in both Android and iOS apps.
ModiFace is an AR-based application that allows users to experience makeup, skincare and hair colors through virtual stimulation of 3D and photo-realistic effects. Acquired by L´Oréal in March 2018, ModiFace has been the name behind custom AR beauty apps by many brands including Estée Lauder and Sephora.
Obsess is a platform that allows fashion retailers and brands to create attractive and interactive virtual stores on their websites or apps. Customers can access videos, digital information and recommendations that help them to make their purchase decisions. Obsess helps in creating a 3D fashion experience in HD quality.
Avametric is AR platform that allows fashion brands to deliver accurate 3D experiences of their apparels and accessories. It has a technology that helps users to try digital garments on customizable digital body models for the web, mobile and AR.
Virtusize is a fitting solution that uses AR and VR technologies enabling online fashion retailers to sell clothes with the right size and fit to the consumers.
Holition is an award-winning start-up that uses futuristic digital technologies to create enhances fashion experiences for consumers with 3D technology solutions such as AR mirrors, holographic, virtual try-on and wearable technology.
These companies and start-ups are surely disrupting the fashion retail industry with their innovative AR technologies which will change the way we experience fashion.