Virtual fitting and size-inclusive brands are a perfect match

The last six months have seen a flurry of news around virtual fitting and augmented reality try-on services, including Walmart’s acquisition of Zeekit in June and Snap’s acquisition of Fit Analytics in March. Even Google has gotten in on the AR-powered try-on game. One of the biggest benefactors of this change is brands catering to specialty sizes and products requiring particular fits.

Brands like ThirdLove, 1822 Denim and Otero Menswear, which have extended sizing, have started integrating virtual fitting rooms to entice customers wary of poor fits from other brands. This also helps to reduce returns, which have skyrocketed during the pandemic. Otero Menswear, a brand focusing on men under 5’10”, relaunched its online store on Tuesday to make virtual fitting the centerpiece of the entire site.

Founder and CEO Steve Villanueva said the brand had featured virtual fitting software on its site before, but it was buried further in the checkout process, after a customer chose their product, color and size. The new site makes virtual fitting the first thing the customer sees and, potentially, the first thing they access before they even start browsing. To use it, customers answer four quick questions about their height, leg length, waist size and body type. They’re then served up a virtual avatar that corresponds with their answers.

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