John Lewis trials virtual fashion mirrors
John Lewis is to trial two Virtual Fashion Mirrors at its flagship London department store on Oxford Street.
The 6ft by 3ft John Lewis StyleMe mirrors, developed by technology specialist Cisco in-conjunction with C-instore, Aitech and The Team, each have built in cameras to capture a shoppers’ body dimensions and positions. The mirrors then superimpose clothing over the customer’s on-screen image enabling them to see how they will look in a new outfit without having to get undressed.
The technology will also allow shoppers to create their own virtual collection which they can opt to have emailed to them, including images of their selected items and the QR codes linking to johnlewis.com. In addition, they will be able to share their new look with friends and family via social networking sites and receive feedback before purchase.
Andrea O’Donnell, commercial director at John Lewis, said: “We strive to have a market leading approach to innovative new technology and providing our customers with the very best shopping experience. We think our virtual fashion mirrors will be a lot of fun for our customers and we hope they will enjoy experimenting with them, as much as we have.”
Lisa Fretwell, senior director, Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group added: “StyleMe – based on Cisco retail network and collaboration technologies – brings online content into a store and creates an engaging and personal experience that shoppers enjoy. It’s about capturing shoppers’ ‘feet and fingertips’ right in the store with digital content that makes it easy for them to buy in whatever channel suits them.”
The Virtual Fashion Mirrors will be located in the womenswear department on the first floor of John Lewis Oxford Street for the next five weeks. If the trial is successful, the mirrors will be penanently installed in the retailer’s first flexible department store due to open in Exeter this autumn.
