Why Zalando Acquired a Body-Scan Startup

Zalando is one purchase closer to making the Clueless closet a reality. On Friday, the European online retailer acquired a body scanning tech firm, Fision, for an undisclosed sum.

The details: Fision creates virtual dressing rooms where users can scan their body measurements and see how an item looks in their size. It doesn’t take a returns scientist to see why Zalando made the purchase...

• Shoppers will know their fits fit. 76% of U.S. shoppers said virtual try-on services improved their purchase confidence in a recent Vertebrae survey.
• Zalando’s costs will plummet with fewer too-small returns to process and fewer excess products to redistribute...if the tech is accurate.

Compare + contrast. Body measurements are difficult to standardize, so virtual try-on tech is mostly an accessory (Kendra Scott and Warby Parker) and beauty (Ulta) feature.

Other apparel retailers have limited virtual dressing room experiences:

• ASOS is testing a feature called “See My Fit” where shoppers can view 800 items on 16 body types (but not a scan of their own).
• Kohl’s partnered with Snapchat to test a virtual closet.