Shop.org 2018 Innovation Lab

Future Commerce Podcast: eCommerce, DTC and Retail Strategy

• Episode: Shop.org 2018 Innovation Lab
• Website: Future Commerce Podcast: eCommerce, DTC and Retail Strategy
• Feed URL: https://rss.simplecast.com/podcasts/2042/rss
• Duration: 00:38:27
• Published: 2018-09-22 01:25

Show Notes

Main Takeaways:

• Brian gets to visit all the cool exhibits with all the cool toys in the Innovation Lab at Shop.org 2018.
• Personalization seems to be the name of the game in emerging technology.
• Avatars with a user's exact measurements may just be the preferred shopping experience of the future.
• Is it time to drop the E in e-commerce?

Can Body Scanning with 3D Models Make Clothes Fit Better?

• While body scanning is always a hot topic, 3D Look invested 18 months of research and found that using 3D models can allow for more exact measurements.

• By using 3D models, 3D Look is able to get their margin of error down to 3 centimeters, and they hope to improve on that within the year.

• Unlike their competition 3D Look's body scanner can be used through one layer of clothing, which makes it much easier to use.

• 3D Look's technology will allow consumers to stop focusing on pesky numbers on letters, and instead on how clothes actually fit and feel.

• 3D Look's goal for 2020: To be utilized all across the e-commerce market.

Finally, Everyone Can Wear Flattering Clothing:

• Allure Systems utilizes virtual fashion and virtual models, which can allow retailers to prepare a catalog without a massive price tag attached.

• The technology used is a massive Xerox machine to capture the garment in 360 degrees.

• Real diversity of size could actually be a reality in retail, with this technology finally making it possible to see a model of every size wearing any garment. This is excellent news for non-sample-size people who would like to know what clothing will look like on their specific body types.

• The future of this kind of technology may lie in personal avatars, which would further personalize a shopping experience, even allowing shoppers to see what the garment would look like if they gained or lose weight.

From Data to Dresses (Or Dining Rooms):

• Shoptelligence uses basic product data to create ensembles. Either outfits or complete room decor.

• For shoppers, this can be a fully personalized experience where they design an entire room to their exact tastes. The system allows a user to enter details like budget, room size and even desired aesthetic, and the AI assistant can also make suggestions based on the data provided.

• Can we drop the e in e-commerce, and make way for new terms like home shopping experience, or on the go shopping experiences?

• According to CEO Laura Khoury what Shoptelligence delivers is "truly seamless personal assistance."

In (and out of)Store Virtual Customization :

• Smart Pixels is 3D that you can actually touch.

• In-store virtual customization that allows for altering of colors, fabrics, and textures in store, and on the go.

• Smart Pixels currently uses tablets in store for customization but is hoping to be able to use actual samples of leather, suede, etc.. so that customers will be able to see customization not just as a picture on a screen but as something tangible.

Can App-less Augmented Reality De-complicate the Buying Process?

• Seek sought to integrate AR directly without an app, because as they say consumers don't want to go through the hassle of downloading an app to view AR content.

• According to Seek when AR is integrated into the buying process "conversion goes up 30%"

• Seek is seeking to be the "Youtube" of AR in terms of hosting, hosting converted models themselves so they can be shown on any platform.

• AR improves the buying process because it allows consumers to actually see the product in their lives.

• Something for the Apple superfans out there: IOS 12 features app-less AR features.

Innovation Lab Takeaways:      

• Brian and Ryan MacInnis (Director of Marketing at Voysis) agree that the success of technology can be based on timing.

• A great way for innovators to innovate is to understand and interact with their user base.

• Innovation lab is only going to get better regarding new tech and new depth.