Brands & Retailers: Have You Measured Impact of Your Virtual Fitting Room on Overall Sales?

Virtual fitting rooms can sometimes be a bane, or so says a new research. Consumer behaviour through the lens of psychology reveals that VFR can hurt the self-esteem of certain customer segments, and also impact overall sales.

Long Story, Cut Short
  • The technology negatively impacted product evaluations and lowered self-esteem for participants with a high BMI.
  • The research found that virtual technology increased sales among shoppers with a low body mass index. Sales dropped for shoppers with a high BMI.
  • With obesity on the rise, brands and retailers would do well to choose technology that should help companies make money without hurting customer welfare.
For their first study, the researchers compared customer purchase data four weeks before and four weeks after an online women’s apparel store in China launched virtual fitting rooms for some of its products. The software allowed customers to create an avatar  by uploading their body measurements and full-face photos. Findings from the recently published study indicate the technology could backfire on retailers if they assume consumer interactions are uniformly positive.
Virtually Not All Too Good For their first study, the researchers compared customer purchase data four weeks before and four weeks after an online women’s apparel store in China launched virtual fitting rooms for some of its products. The software allowed customers to create an avatar by uploading their body measurements and full-face photos. Findings from the recently published study indicate the technology could backfire on retailers if they assume consumer interactions are uniformly positive. Vinicius AMNX Amano / Unsplash

Technology can at times backfire and that’s a word of caution for brands, retailers and virtual fitting room makers

  • New consumer behaviour research through the lens of psychology reveals that virtual fitting rooms (VFR) can hurt the self-esteem of certain customer segments.

THE RESEARCH: Findings from a recently published study indicate virtual fitting rooms could backfire on retailers if they assume interactions with the technology are uniformly positive

  • The data analysed was gathered from more than 8,000 customers for an online women’s apparel store in China.
  • The researchers found that while virtual technology increased sales among shoppers with a low body mass index (BMI, sales dropped for shoppers with a high BMI
  • The researchers conducted six studies to understand how and why shoppers with a high BMI may experience virtual fitting rooms differently than those with a low BMI. 
  • In a follow-up study, they found the technology negatively impacted product evaluations and lowered self-esteem for participants with a high BMI. People who are unhappy with how they perceive their appearance may shift that negative feeling to the product. 
  • The researchers believe similar patterns happen in physical fitting rooms, as well, but that the effect is stronger with virtual rooms.
  • A possible reason for this: There are fewer distractions with virtual rooms. It’s just the individual’s image with the clothes and a white background. When the only thing one is looking at is one’s own image, one may view it with a more critical eye.
  • In physical fitting rooms, there’s more “noise.” The mirror reflects walls and additional pieces of clothing. Perhaps music is playing while people converse several feet away.
  • One of the co-authors of the study, Huifang Mao, is a professor and Dean’s Fellow of Marketing at Iowa State University. She researches consumer behaviour through a psychological lens.

THE WAY OUT: Results from several of the researchers' studies suggest marketing strategies that could erase or lessen the negative effects of virtual fitting rooms among consumers with a high BMI:

  • Priming shoppers with diversified beauty norms (e.g., including models with different body sizes, shapes and ages on the website.)
  • Using a mannequin face for the avatar to create distance between the consumer and their perceived imperfections.
  • Providing opportunities for consumers to engage in pro-social behaviour (e.g., contributing to a charitable donation with their purchase,) which boosts self-esteem.  
  • Using virtual fitting rooms with high-end or luxury products, which can signal worth and value.  

THE BACKDROP: A growing number of retailers have launched virtual fitting rooms in recent years which rooms allow shoppers to ‘try on’ clothes through interactive simulation technology and texture-mapped product images. This can cut down on returns and nudge hesitant shoppers to click the checkout button.

WHAT THEY SAID:

We shouldn't think consumers are all the same and will respond in the same way because they don’t. Our research shows virtual fitting rooms can hurt the self-esteem of certain customer segments. We want to make sure technology can help companies make money without hurting customer welfare.

Huifang Mao
Professor & Dean’s Fellow of Marketing
Iowa State University

 
 
  • Dated posted: 15 April 2023
  • Last modified: 15 April 2023