We are completely reversing the shopping process to focus on fit first, style second which runs contrary to how almost every website and store presents clothing to customers today.
At FIT:MATCH we’ve developed an integrated fit-predictive personalization platform that matches apparel shoppers with the items that fit them 90% or better and hides the rest. Imagine if when you walk into a store or land on a brand website, only the products that fit your exact body 90% or better remain, and the rest evaporate out of sight. From there with an incredible level of confidence you’re able to explore and select the styles you like knowing they will fit. That’s essentially the experience we provide.
The norm today is that brands present their universe of styles, and then it’s on the shopper to sift through and find what they like, and then determine if it’s available in a size that they think would be suitable. Then they take the leap of faith and buy the product only to have to try it on at home to determine if indeed the style they’ve chosen works for their body based on the size they selected. Or maybe they even buy multiple sizes to hedge their bets, knowing they can return what doesn’t fit for free. Plagued by “fit risk”, this experience is incredibly burdensome for both shoppers and brands. Reversing the journey to start with a universe of fit-relevant products will change the apparel retail game. For all and for the better.
Here’s why this differentiated approach works ….
1. Customers want to do more with less: Apparel retail really hasn’t evolved to match the changing preferences of the new consumer, who puts a premium on “less is more” and wants greater precision with every transaction. Transportation has evolved to suit these needs - Uber uses AI to match you to a single car without showing you other options in that category to get you from point A to point B (...when last did you hear a user ask to see more car choices for their ride?). Netflix uses AI to curate your content based on your viewing behavior and preferences (...do you even recall how annoying it is to search your TV guide?). Today, apparel brands still overwhelm customers presenting them with 10x to 20x more product than they really need to see. They still over-produce, and in general the experience of shopping for clothes is largely hit or miss.
Solution: Our matching software proactively hides the items that won't be a fit for you, so you can confidently select the styles you love from the assortment knowing they will fit.
2. An effective shopping journey should prioritize the important aspects: Customers should spend the most time on the aspects that matter most; and the least time on the ones that don’t drive satisfaction and retail economics.
As it turns out fit is the most important non price-related attribute when shopping for apparel… 30% more important than style. Yet today size is the last step before purchase. We’ve been conditioned to first gravitate toward the styles we like and then determine whether it’s available in the size you hope will fit. And we all know size is not the same as fit, where size is brand-driven based on their sizing system, while fit is personal - how something works for an individual’s body.
Solution: Focus on fit first (the most important criteria) and style second (albeit still a very important criteria). Our process does not de-prioritize style; rather it flips the order to deliver significantly improved relevance.
3. Humans are innately poor at judging fit. Humans are limited in our ability to judge fit based on looking at 2D images, sizing charts and even using recommendation tools (remember your ideal size from a brand might not translate to a great fit for your exact body). Our data demonstrates that even those best at judging fit, get it right only about 66% of the time. The remaining 34% where humans will never get it right, which gets at the root cause of the returns challenge, is too much to overcome without a fundamental shift in approach.
Solution: A complete re-shaping of the apparel shopping journey leveraging transformative technologies.
Join us in bringing fundamental and value-creating change to apparel retail. It’s time.
