Intelligent CIO Europe Issue 37 | Page 76

BLOCKCHAIN WILL BECOME AN INCREASINGLY VALUABLE TOOL FOR TRACING THE JOURNEY OF PRODUCTS , SO THAT CUSTOMERS HAVE MUCH BETTER VISIBILITY OVER WHERE AN ITEM HAS COME FROM AND WHERE IT HAS BEEN .
INDUSTRY WATCH an item has come from and where it has been on its journey . IoT will also be crucial in providing sensor data to monitor whether customers are adhering to social distancing . This will be a much quicker , easier and more accurate method than watching shoppers with human staff .
Furthermore , there have already been numerous innovations in virtual fitting rooms delivered by
Augmented Reality ( AR ) in recent years to allow customers to try on clothes virtually , and a more widespread adoption of AR by retailers was already on the rise before the COVID-19 outbreak .
This is particularly true of retailers selling footwear , jewellery or optical retailers . For example , Gucci added an AR function to its mobile app to enable customers to try on its popular Ace Sneakers virtually .

BLOCKCHAIN WILL BECOME AN INCREASINGLY VALUABLE TOOL FOR TRACING THE JOURNEY OF PRODUCTS , SO THAT CUSTOMERS HAVE MUCH BETTER VISIBILITY OVER WHERE AN ITEM HAS COME FROM AND WHERE IT HAS BEEN .

The adoption of these technologies is a little more challenging when it comes to clothing . There is a need to give not just fitting accuracy , but a realistic idea of the look and feel of the product , all of which can be affected by factors such as lighting , materials and patterns .
Even prior to the pandemic , it was expected that the global virtual fitting room market would reach over US $ 10 billion by 2026 . With increased regulation to manage hygiene and social distancing measures in-store , we expect that this figure has already risen and will only continue to do so as these innovations become all the more important given some people might no longer feel safe trying on clothes in fitting rooms . Since AR , AI and VR innovations can address some customer concerns around health and hygiene , we will likely see an increase in the adoption of such technologies into the fitting room .
To allow customers to try on items virtually , retailers should consider introducing technology which scans an actual product or barcode in-store on customers ’ smartphones to bring up details of the product as well as a visualisation of it on a 3D avatar . The customer can then browse for different sizes and colours and select the best fit .
This could allow customers to ‘ try on ’ as many products as they want without any timing constraints . It would also allow social distancing rules to be followed more easily . Contactless fitting rooms like this could be the bridge between the physical fitting and the convenience of online shopping .
Turning uncertainty into opportunity
The pandemic has thrown the globe into disarray and while none of us can predict the future , the one on our horizon now is very different to the one we anticipated just a few months ago . Though full of uncertainty , there is an opportunity for retailers to find their feet again , but alongside emerging technologies like Blockchain and AR . p
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