One of the main attractions of purchasing apparels is trying out the various clothes and feeling good about it. This is an important component of apparel shopping and in India; this is often a group activity as shoppers tend to come in groups of either family members or friends. Trial rooms or fitting rooms are spaces inside the store which offer this experience and can actually make or break the sale.
These spaces should also be designed with care because of the impact on conversion and therefore sales. Ideally the mirrors should be of good quality which does not distort the reflection, lighting should be soft but bright enough, enough space inside and most definitely lots of hooks to hang the clothes.
However, this element of store design seems to be increasingly compromised by Retailers in various ways. Click here to read the article in ET Retail about whether the Retailer’s trial room is driving away shopper.
Although there are technological innovations which try to offer a virtual experience of trying on clothes, it cannot compare with the actual touch, feel and see experience of physically trying on the same.
The video shows one such initiative which might attract shoppers for a while because of the novelty factor. However, I am not sure that this will end up replacing the physical trial/ fitting rooms.
This is all the more reason why Retailers should pay special attention to making these spaces deliver a WOW experience to the shoppers.
