When considering retail design, fitting rooms are often an after thought, however they may be one of the most important parts of the shopping experience.
In fact shoppers who use fitting rooms, rather than just browse the sales floor, are 70% more likely to make a purchase. So when it’s time to upgrade your in-store technology, it makes sense to put extra attention there. Smart fitting rooms can help to enhance the customer experience and the way they interact with the brand.
Rebecca Minkoff’s “Magic Mirrors”
Rebecca Minkoff just opened her first interactive store. The experience begins when customers walk in the store and are offered a complimentary beverage. They provide the sales associate their phone number, and then receive a text message when their drink is ready. Customers can also use a large touch screen to browse the store catalog, rather than going through the racks.
RFID tags on every item in the store notify the smart fitting room of what is coming in. The fitting rooms feature “magic mirrors” that are actually large touch screens. The customer can use the screen to change their lighting settings, for a better idea of how the clothing will look on them in real life. The touch screen displays different sizes and colors, a customer can then select a different color or size and add it to their online shopping basket. The goal is eventually to upgrade so that customers are able to make their purchase from inside the dressing room.
Bloomingdale’s Puts iPads in their Fitting Rooms
Bloomingdale’s has installed iPad’s in the fitting rooms of five of their stores. The iPads are wall-mounted and connected to their inventory-management system. Customers can tap the iPad to request the assistance of a sales associate. Customers and store associates can scan the items to find out what colors and sizes are in stock. They can even read reviews of the items by other customers. The iPad also suggests additional items to help the customer complete the outfit they are trying on.
The ability to request assistance without leaving the fitting room helps to enhance the customers experience, while a smart fitting room that suggests add-on items helps the sales associate who now knows what item they are searching for when a customer asks for a shirt that will “go with” the pants they are trying on.
Kohl’s Smart Fitting Room Recognizes Items
Kohl’s is testing a pilot program which connects items using Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) to display items that are brought into the fitting room on a touchscreen display. The screen shows a description of the items, and additional colors and sizes that are available, which the users can touch to request.
Sales associates who have handheld devices, can then bring the requested items in real time. In a department store as large as Kohl’s arming employees with devices is a smart move- it frees them to do other things when they are not needed, but also gives customers access to them without having to search for them.
Is your retail location ready for a digital makeover? Visit our services page to learn more about how Reality Interactive can help you.
Photo Credits: WSJ.com, theinteractionlabs.com
