More and more people are buying their clothes online, and not just at Christmastime – online shopping is a part of many people’s everyday lives. “One out of every five articles of clothing that were purchased in Germany in 2015 were ordered online, and that figure is growing. Of the articles of clothing that were purchased online, 25 to 50 per cent were returned after the customer tried them on,” explains Michael Stöhr, Managing Director of Avalution, Kaiserslautern. “Customers often bought the same article of clothing in different sizes, and the ones that didn’t fit were sent back. This is a waste of energy for transport as well as raw materials, since the returned goods have to be washed and repackaged. Some companies even destroy returned goods because it’s cheaper than processing them,” according to Stöhr.
Together with the German Institutes for Textile and Fiber Research, Denkendorf, and Assyst, a private company based in Aschheim, Avalution is trying to reduce the number of online purchases that get returned by developing a virtual fitting room. Customers will receive a digital copy of their body that is essentially a three-dimensional mirror image. This will allow them to see how the clothing will fit them. Avalution’s database of human body scans will make up the basis for the digital body simulations. Using this data, Avalution will be able to create avatars that can be customised by providing just a few bits of information. Furthermore, as part of the project, Avalution is also developing an approach that will help customers to better understand the impact that different shopping habits have on the environment. As a result, they can take ecological aspects into account when making decisions over the long term.
