Buying clothes online is akin to the retail world’s version of a blind date. You don’t know how an outfit will look on you until you see it on yourself, which is something online shopping doesn’t offer. But Walmart is rolling out a solution to that problem with its new virtual fitting room, “Be Your Own Model.”
If you were awestruck by Cher Horowitz’s ahead-of-its-time app in 1995’s “Clueless” that showed what clothing in her wardrobe looked like on her, you can now manifest a similar scene yourself with Walmart’s new online tool. Using technology from Zeekit, a startup that Walmart acquired last year, users can either upload a picture of themselves or use a similar-looking model to get a better sense of how fabrics drape, where a seam or hem lands, and how their features look against an item’s color.
Our new virtual try-on experience, Be Your Own Model, leverages AI algorithms and ML models to help customers find their perfect look: https://t.co/77LLyc6JfR. Try it out in the iOS @Walmart app.👗😀 pic.twitter.com/ejLZUz5tgO
— Walmart Global Tech (@Walmarttech) September 15, 2022
The world’s largest retailer might have an ulterior motive in its launch, though. Amid widespread inflation that has many consumers’ wallets on life support, shoppers have scaled back how often they purchase clothing and shoes to save money. Walmart could stand to gain some additional revenue with its enticing new technology.
