Virtual Fitwear a subscription based software for online companies to use that will reduce return rates and have customers purchase more thoughtfully. Virtual Fitwear allows the customer to tailor an avatar that will then help them make smarter and more accurate purchasing decisions, thus reducing returns and helping the environment
How can we reduce our eco footprint while contributing to the trillion dollar fashion industry?
If we think about the 5 things we as humans need to live, what comes to mind? I am hoping clothing was on your list.. Clothing is a form of protection and self expression, which is why it has become a trillion dollar industry and continues to thrive.
However, with everything in life, there are pros and cons and unfortunately, the fashion industry plays a large contribution to pollution and tons of waste in our landfills. Living in a technological age, ecomm behemoths such as Amazon have thrived due to their simplicity of buying and returning, and according to a CNBC article, Amazon's returns have increased by 21% in 2020 alone (Tarasov). The problem at hand is that we have become a society that is quick to purchase and return without taking a step back to understand the environmental impact it has and fun fact, most Amazon returns go to auction or straight to our landfills.
On the other side of things, the fashion industry has also created unrealistic expectations for how we should look and dress represented everywhere in our everyday lives. So with all of these factors, how can we create a more sustainable and enjoyable way to shop online where users are able to save time, make less returns, and increase their satisfaction with the items purchase because they actually fit??
Introducing Virtual Fitwear, a subscription based software ecomm companies are able to purchase that will reduce their return rates and have customers purchase more thoughtfully. Virtual Fitwear allows the customer to tailor an avatar using AI and measurement self assessment that will then help them make smarter and more accurate purchasing decisions, thus reducing returns.
Virtual Fitwear is a problem that needs to be solved and we validated this problem space through consumer research from interviews and surveys with 15 interviewees from all diverse background, we have learned that this is a need
“Utilising Google Forms for users to complete a 10 question survey, we identified a few different categories of prospective users and did over 10 user interviews…”
“Our preliminary user research to validate this problem that there is a real issue online shopping and finding items that truly fit and Virtual Fitwear is a tool to help reduce returns before they happen.”
“Based on our target users’ pain points, we knew we wanted to center our work on the following: AI for unique avatars per user, friction free measurement self assessment, and reducing returns.”
After conducting user interviews via a survey and in person, we learned that there were a few pain points that stood out:
Virtual Fitwear is a need for not only the business owner, but the consumer as well making it the ideal solution to mediate time, save money, and help the environment!
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This problem is a large one to solve and there are an array of problem to address, however I had so much fun being able to see an idea through and showcase it to my cohort. Although this Spring is coming to an end and I will not be conunting with the bootcamp, I will continue to network and build community to hopefully land a PM role soon.
What I found the most rewarding taking this 4 week sprint course though Co.Lab, was being able to actually sit down and think like a product manager and truly be customer obsessed with the problem I was trying to solve for. I learned so much on how to create a product spec and ways to strategies on a solution to our countless problems we phase through a wide variety of industries. This experience was truly one I will never forget and it was such a pleasure being able to connect and feel like a team with the founders.