Retail Now: Trying + Buying

Today’s often cramped fitting rooms are proving unfit to provide a safe and hygienic experience for shoppers. Stores must expand the space dedicated to the try on experience or intelligently tackle the space they have.

Tomorrow’s fitting rooms will be individual, spacious capsules finished in hard, hygienic and easily cleaned materials.

Expansive fitting rooms take centre-stage at Geijoeng’s Shenzhen store. Layers of glass, mirror and terrazzo create a light, spacious and hygienic trying-on experience.

Advancements in technology are giving experimental start-ups and established retailers the ability to offer contactless experiences, where customers can try on a product without ever touching it, eliminating the need for product quarantine and reducing the risk of infection.

Sephora have partnered with Modiface to elevate the customer’s journey within their stores and now offer the opportunity to virtually try on product such as lipsticks and mascara without interacting with the items.

Samsung revealed an interactive screen which allow a customer to try on jewellery over their own reflection.

We’ve seen a tremendous spike in brands adopting virtual fashion over the last few months as fashion shows and showrooms were postponed or cancelled. These futuristic platforms generate a digital version of yourself which can be dressed up and altered with seemingly endless possibilities.

Meepl is a software which creates avatars using a 3D body scan. Customers are then able to explore the size and fit of a product whilst also discovering outfits combination without handling the product. The software uses fabric stimulation technologies to enable a realistic experience.

Amsterdam based collective The Fabricant have launched Leela, a digital ‘exploration zone’ where users create a virtual avatar and dress up in a plethora of fashions.

Elevate the fitting room experience by enabling shoppers to curate and personalise their shopping bag by offering ‘by appointment’ services and innovative assisted fitting rooms.

Online retailer SSENSE have a bricks and mortar concept store in Montréal where visitors can make a personal shopping appointment online to pre-order from a selection of over 20,000 items.

Reformation have an innovative new concept in their New York store where visitors make a selection of garments in their required size from an iPad, minutes later their curation is available in a fitting room. If they need a different size, a few quick taps on an iPad placed inside the fitting room, and the new size is available from a concealed two-way closet.

As demand for online shopping has increased over the pandemic, delivery systems have been strained and consumers are growing tired of long, uninspiring postal office queues. Retailers could shift some of the browse and purchase process to their online channels and transform a part of their retail space into inspiring ‘depots’ where visitors collect, try-on and return orders with ease and style.

Finnish company Posti have taken this idea and applied a millennial-themed colour palette. Visitors enter to a pastel pink collection area of 600 lockers which is flanked by neon-lit zones for fitting rooms, unboxing stations and recycling. This aesthetics-first approach has fostered a space which users are encouraged to linger and explore a curated product selection in the ‘Spotlight’ area, or enjoy a coffee in the modular lounge space.

The closure of stores and scarcity of product has accelerated the already prominent trend for convenience. Many retailers have created bespoke touch-free collection moments at their stores.

Ace & Tate offer a 24 hour street-side service from their Van Woustraat Amsterdam store, passersby can simply select the shades they like, pay with contactless and set off.

Visitors ordering via Acne Studios’ website can select the ‘Curbside Collection’ option to collect their order outside their nearest store.

Diversify and expand your service to include a memorable and personal delivery experience. This is another opportunity to have a one-on-one experience with many customers who may be too anxious to brave the shopping streets. Incorporate unforgettable, beautifully designed packaging.

Net-A-Porter have become industry leaders in chic, luxurious delivery services. Any orders placed within London are delivered the same day by a black-clad chauffeur, who presents the lucky recipient with a hand calligraphed package.

US delivery company Postmates recently launched an automated, sidewalk delivery robot called Serve, a brightly coloured, blinking and all-electric vehicle which delivers orders directly to users homes, and can be unlocked with a swipe of their mobile phone.