Amazon is developing an app that creates a ‘virtual mannequin’ based on the user’s social media photos.
The idea is to produce an Augmented Reality (AR) image of the customer actually wearing clothes on sale, the Sunday Telegraph reports.
As well as scouring personal photos to create a composite image of the customer, the app would analyse where the person lives, what they do for a living and how they spend their free time in order to predict clothes they may like. It would also look at calendar appointments and suggest outfits for upcoming events.
A UK patent filed with the Intellectual Property Office and seen by the Sunday Telegraph says that photographs of the customer wearing a variety of clothing styles would be harvested to “provide a realistic view” of them wearing similar clothes for sale.
The algorithm draws on personal information “sensed or otherwise provided by the access device” to “determine the temperature or season” and better predict what they might want or need.
“If the access device determined the temperature was hot, it may be more appropriate to display warm weather clothing rather than skiing clothes,” the patent application explained.
“If a [calendar] event was entitled ‘business meeting with James’ the images showing professional wear may be selected. If it was entitled ‘dancing with friends’, leisure or club-wear may be given preference during the selection process.”
Customers could swipe to like or dislike garments their mannequin would be shown wearing.
Mark Howell, creative director at strategic design agency Play Retail, told the Sunday Telegraph that the interactive mannequin could “revolutionise” clothes shopping.
He said: “The potential amount of data that this technology will be able to generate for Amazon is staggering.
“By having access to a customer’s photos, the retailer can see what they wear, what they drive and even inside their home to better predict what products an individual is most likely to want to buy.”
In a survey for our Next-generation connectivity report, over three-quarters (78%) of senior executives said they see particular opportunities to be gained from augmented, virtual and mixed reality. To learn more, download your copy now.
Tags: Virtual reality, VR, social media
