Retailing is on the verge of a technology revolution that includes body scanners that recommend clothing purchases to customers, according to a new BMO report.
"It is especially crucial that Canadian retailers embrace new technology if they are to successfully compete with American and European retailers opening their doors across the country and shipping for free," said report author Sherry Cooper, chief economist of BMO Financial Group.
The report notes, for example, that many U.S. shopping malls and department stores are now using body scanners – such as the one by Bodymetrics pictured here in Bloomingdales in Palo Alto, California. The kiosks offer customers a free 10-second body scan and print out personalized shopping guides based on body size and shape and the brands the shopper is interested in. The scanners take about 200,000 measurements in 360 degrees using low-power radio waves.
The report also looks at innovations that customers can use at home to find garments that fit perfectly, including software that uses a webcam to measure a person dressed in dark clothing and virtual fitting rooms that create an avatar based on measurements sent in by a shopper and show how the customer would look in various pieces of clothing.
The report says that clothing makers, armed with this kind of body data from shoppers, body, will be positioned to sew better-fitting garments and more accurately forecast what sizes to stock.
"The confluence of smartphones, 3D printers, parametric technology and other digital technology will change retailing dramatically, eliminating traditional fitting rooms, check-out lines and expensive inventory and returns," Cooper said.
