Pique Behind the Curtain: Social Shopping and Virtual Dressing Rooms

Posted by Sheila Shayon on March 31, 2011 12:00 PM

The quest to combine online shopping and augmented reality took another step forward at the recent DEMO Spring Conference 2011.

Swivel, created by FaceCake, uses Microsoft Kinect’s motion-sensing technology to create a virtual dressing room where users can manipulate their own images and try on and out various products and services.

Tired of being a redhead – become a blonde today! Shed those last ten pounds, redecorate your living room, buy Fido a new collar. Shoppers can pair clothing items and accessories and even select an appropriate background to preview their fashion choices — and share it on Facebook as they're virtually browsing. Still, not everyone's convinced.

Mashable’s Jennifer Van Grove finds it fun but impractical: “Swivel feels more like a game than a shopping tool. Clothes shopping, more than any most areas of commerce, is a matter of precision…Swivel could make online shopping more entertaining, but won’t solve many of your real e-commerce challenges. At least for now.”

Contrast Swivel with another social shopping tool unveiled at DEMO: Zugara's augmented reality e-commerce software, The Webcam Social Shopper, which also posts to Facebook:

“As the shopper moves around within the webcam’s video feed the apparel item automatically moves with them, creating a 'hands free' experience that’s more natural than anything else on the market.”

According to Zugura CEO and co-founder, Matt Szymczyk, “This is really not about buzzwords like Augmented Reality, or Social Media. This is about using technology to create a better online shopping experience for people, and an easy to integrate solution for our clients and partners…With there being more Millennials than Baby Boomers, we think it’s time to create meaningful and engaging online shopping experiences for this digital generation.”

True enough, but Millennials are demanding, and augmented reality must deliver a precise fit if it's going to gain traction with shoppers.

“Swivel’s virtual shopping experience creates a false sense of hope, while Zugara layers items in a way that could discourage sales, not improve them,” concludes Van Grove.

More about: Retail, Social Commerce, E-Commerce, Zugara, Swivel, FaceCake, DEMO, Microsoft, Kinect, Facebook, Technology

Matthew Szymczyk says:

Sheila,

Thanks for writing about the Webcam Social Shopper. As I pointed out on Mashable and feel compelled to point out here, our technology is not about fit and never claimed to be. The Mashable piece was focused on both technologies trying to tackle this problem. Frankly, I don't believe the problem of fit is going to ever be solved online in the near future - items will always fit people differently and people will want 'tactile' feedback with the clothes.

Our application is a technology that is ready to use now, is easily integrated into a retailers website and requires just a click and a webcam for the consumer to use. Our application focuses on allowing the consumer to visualize and validate an item and then share that item with friends for feedback. That's it. Right now, consumers cannot tell if a color might be right for them (with their hair color / skin tone) or how a specific design might look on them. That is the problem our application is solving.

You can view the actual presentation I gave here which outlines how The Webcam Social Shopper is really about visualization and validation for the consumer to provide a a better 'experience' online - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJlRaSzg-FI.

Take care,
Matt

March 31, 2011 12:24 PM #

S. Shayon says:

Thanks for the further information, Matt.

March 31, 2011 12:33 PM #