VTO – Virtual Try On Solutions

The idea of Virtual Try-On (a branch of the Virtual Fitting Room concept) consists, literally, in trying on a product without physically having it, wearing a virtual 3D model on the display of a smartphone and configuring it with an Augmented Reality application.

This technology is very practical and intuitive and can be used for any type of product. We can choose and virtually configure a pair of glasses, a pair of shoes, a dress, a bag or any other wearable accessory. A Virtual Try-On application is, therefore, a very solid ally for all Fashion and Luxury companies.

HOW DOES A MOBILE VTO (VIRTUAL TRY-ON) APPLICATION WORK?

The application makes use of the Augmented Reality technology on a smartphone or a tablet. Using the front camera and the display of a mobile device, it is possible to add computer graphics information on top of real images, that is, those of the user. The application uses the device’s sensors and image recognition software technologies to track the movements of the user’s face and body. This ensures the perfect correspondence and visual synchrony between the real content and the digital content.

The augmented reality application allows users to try the products from the brand’s catalogue, and to interact with them thanks to a great variety of operations, including the comparison between different configurations. This is achieved with simple and intuitive interfaces, supported by the constant visual update of the interactions, thanks to real-time rendering technologies.

A VTO (Virtual Try-On) application makes use of augmented reality technologies to allow users to virtually wear a product on their smartphone. The app allows real-time customisation of the solutions from the catalogue. By presetting the configuration options, the brands keep full control over the available choices. (credit: Protocube Reply)

A MAGIC MIRROR, WITHIN EVERYBODY’S REACH

One of the technological advantages of Augmented Reality lies in exploiting the features of widespread devices, such as tablets and smartphones. It is enough to use the devices that the target of a product normally owns and uses, without the need for a specific device, as happens instead in the case of Virtual Reality.

In other words, a VTO (Virtual Try-On) application distributed on iOS and Android stores is potentially available to over a billion people. Another element of added value of the mobile application is the interaction with social networks, which allows users to share their creations, building a real community around the product.

THE ADVANTAGES OF A VTO (VIRTUAL TRY-ON) APPLICATION FOR A PRODUCT COMPANY

In addition to the widespread distribution made available by mobile platforms, enhancing the Customer Experience with a VTO (Virtual Try-On) application gives companies numerous tangible advantages, that are easy to measure and improve Digital Transformation strategies based on quality contents.

The following is a summary of the main advantages of a VTO (Virtual Try-On) application in the customer experience of a product company.

• Customer engagement – thanks to a user experience based on total interaction with the product, users can see the result of their preferences in real-time. A VTO (Virtual Try-On) app becomes a comprehensive engagement tool, allowing users to virtually wear the product in a realistic way: at home, in the office, at the bar with friends, in the shop.
• Online to offline strategies – digital technologies allow brands and retailers to better support omnichannel strategies, making e-commerce more effective. They also restructure the retail experience by providing the physical shop with new experiential meanings for the user. The digital and physical management of a product also makes it possible to perform market research much more easily and quickly.
• Enhanced Retail Experience – The “online to offline” strategy is an integral part of a new concept of Retail Experience, supported by augmented reality technologies. By overcoming the physical limits of interaction with the product, a wide variety of strategies can be implemented, and the experience inside the physical shop represents an added value but is not a requisite for finalising the sale. On these premises, the user can visit the shop, try on the physical products and use their smartphone to receive contextual information, such as the price, special discounts, reviews, user guides, real-time comparison of different configurations. Users can also save their personalisations on the mobile app, to recall them later and finalise their shopping experience without any rush.
• 3D product catalogue – The digital experience of a product company is based on the creation of a catalogue of 3D models, continuously upgradeable, which provides several advantages throughout the life cycle of the products. From the design phases, where it is possible to significantly reduce development time and costs, eliminating most of the traditional physical samples, all the way up to the marketing and sales phases, where virtual simulations can be part of promotional campaigns long before the actual availability of the physical products on the market.
• Data analysis (design/marketing/sales) – Thanks to the backend management of the mobile application, a company can legally receive valuable behavioural data from its users and guide them in their choices thanks to special advisory tools. This data is the raw material for the analysis of designers and marketers, who can obtain tangible and useful information for their investigation.

In addition to the generic advantages mentioned above, we must also consider all the benefits deriving from the analysis and the proposal of useful solutions to the specific needs of a company.