Virtually Try on Clothes In-Store with Macy’s Magic Mirrors
See how this new weapon in augmented-reality shopping is helping this fashion retailer fight against retail destruction
Mirror, mirror on the wall, can I please see a pair of black skinny jeans in size 6?
Imagine if all you had to do to try on clothes was look in a mirror. Well, with the installation of Macy’s new “magic mirrors” at its Herald Square flagship store in New York, this imagination might not be so far off.
Macy’s is addressing customer pain points with these 72-inch display that allows consumers to “try on” clothes virtually to help them make their selection. Instead of traipsing through the department store looking for a specific pair of jeans or dress in your size only to find they’re out of stock, all you have to do is find the closest mirror.
The “Magic” Behind the Mirrors
In conjunction with LBi international, Macy’s created a 72-inch mirror display that enables you to superimpose clothing on your reflection. The mirror features a multitouch screen that lets you select items such as tops, dresses, bottoms and coats. After making a choice, the items covers your reflection, making it look like you’re actually wearing them. You can also adjust the size to fit you accordingly.
The “magic mirror” was built with touchscreen computing to allow Macy’s shoppers to check their look in it. A large mirror is linked up to a touchscreen tablet computer, allowing visitors to scroll through options. A camera attached to the mirror can then send images, along with a computer-generated password, to the visitor’s friends via Facebook, SMS or email.
LBi also assisted in making the experience even more interactive with an iPad app that lets customers “flick” clothing selections from the app to the display.
Attracting Millennials with Technology
With the retail apocalypse at the heels of more and more department stores, retailers are going to new heights to reach young, digitally savvy consumers, and Macy’s “magic mirrors” is one way this department store is doing so.
Macy’s, like other brick-and-mortar stores, has been facing stiff competition from e-commerce merchants and losing ground with the Millennial consumer.
There are 80 million Millennials living in the U.S., representing 30% of total retail sales which equaled $154.1 billion in 2018. Because Millennials favor friendly sales, good customer experiences and a customer service approach, they’re looking for companies to bring their products, messages and stores to the 21st century.
A BU research report agreed that since technology is now seen as an integral part of customers’ lives, it needs to be a part of companies’ value proposition and culture.
Capturing Brand Data
Some experts say that the advent of Macy’s Magic Fitting Room represents another effort of retailers: to capture brand data.
Petah Marian, senior editor of retail intelligence at trend forecasting firm WGSN, noted that smart mirrors offer brand data that is generally limited to the e-commerce sphere.
“Understanding which products are being tried on and not bought…is the physical equivalent to knowing what was put into an online shopper’s cart and not bought,” Marian explained to Fast Company. “This allows retailers to understand which garments are popular, but also, to remind customers of what they tried on. Maybe they’re still thinking about it? Because customers must enter contact info to use the mirrors, companies can later email a little follow-up—sometimes even with a photo of their dressing room try-on.”
Petah added, “Smart mirrors are a clever way to get a customer’s email address, dress size and style preferences.”
Among the U.S. based companies that are using “magic mirrors” or a version of it are Neiman-Marcus, Ralph Lauren and Rebecca Minkoff.
The introduction of innovations like these “magic mirrors” at big name brands like Macy’s shows how serious retailers are becoming in their efforts to appeal to Millennials and to highlight digitalization in their companies.
Now the question remains: Is it too little, too late? Only time will tell.