Lizz's Team Pick:
When it comes to online shopping, returning items is just part of the game. Without a dressing room, it's often nearly impossible to tell if something will fit you at all, let alone be flattering or fit you well. Sure, websites post their measurement charts, but they rarely line up neatly with actual sizes, and who keeps a measuring tape at bedside while lazily internet-surfing?
Some avoid online shopping altogether for this reason and some order multiple sizes and/or buy exclusively from sites with free return-shipping or in-person return options. I personally only shop at sites where I already am sure of my size. True Fit plans to change all that.
HOW CAN WE SHOP FOR PANTS WHEN WE'RE ALL DIFFERENT SIZES?!
Retailers are desperate to bring down the mostly fit-related 20%-40% return rate on online purchases, and thus a group of Boston mathematicians developed True Fit, which rolls out today at Macy's and Nordstrom, to predict your size in hundreds of different participating brands.
True Fit aims to be quick and painless while avoiding asking for specific measurements -- like the Pandora of online shopping!
You answer size, brand and fit questions about your current favorite clothing, they recommend styles you might like and the sizes you might need. Additionally, True Fit works like a plug-in, so once you have your profile established, it follows you from site to site learning what works for you.
VIA THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Currently the software is only designed for women's clothing, but ideally success will lead it to include men's and boy's department clothing as well. They plan to double their participating brands from 350 to 700 by the end of the year.
Though True Fit is bound to be highly gendered, it has the potential to be the opposite of that and help people like us figure out how best to fit into clothing allegedly manufactured for a different gender. My Formspring is riddled with questions about fit and sizing. Not just about buying from the men's/boy's departments, but even just general button-up/vests/jeans/swimwear/plaid/polka-dots/everything type fit questions.
Everyone wants to know what sort of clothes they should be buying, but no one wants to stand in the men's department of Macy's trying on every single brand of shirt. Not only will True Fit be able to help you to figure out what store and size has button-ups that don't split in front, it can track what style of pants give you exactly the silhouette you're looking for. Furthermore, better fit technology certainly promises to negate the awkwardness of negotiating dressing rooms.
So, here's hoping True Fit will gain momentum enough to expand beyond dresses and jeans and sport inference technology of Netflix-quality caliber. Who knows, maybe in no time True Fit will be everywhere recommending me Dark British Leather Jackets With A Strong Female Lead.
//
15 Comments