Walmart rolls out be-your-own-model features on its app.
“This is one of the most exciting times in the e-commerce space because it introduces a gamification of shopping that hasn’t existed before, where you are the model,” Denise Incandela, executive vice president of apparel and private brands at Walmart U.S., told WWD. “This is the future of shopping. [It] will enable greater confidence when making a purchase.
“We’re still in the nascent stages, but with the technology that we’ve been working on over the last year, we very much believe that this is how people are going to want to shop [in the future],” she added.
The process started last year when Walmart acquired Zeekit, a virtual fitting room platform. At the time, the mass merchant said it would roll out new technology with the business allowing shoppers to select the height, shape and skin tone of the model closest to their own to see how different clothing options look on various body types. Incandela said the choose-your-model capabilities were well received, prompting the company to more than double its assortment of models. Still, she said shoppers wanted even more variety to choose from.
Walmart shoppers can now upload their own photos, by way of the app, to be their own models. Courtesy Photo
“Virtual try-on where you’re the model is the next step,” Incandela said. “You can still choose from one of the 120-plus models that we offer if you’re not interested in seeing yourself in the clothes. But if you do want to be the model, we feel like this offers a gamification of shopping that is very compelling to our consumers.”
The be-your-own-model technology uses algorithms and machine learning to create “highly accurate topographic maps, to show how an item of clothing will look on someone,” she continued. “A customer sees an ultra-realistic simulation with shadows, fabric draping and where clothing falls on their figure in seconds. For example, a single shirt can come in six different colors, seven different sizes and two sleeve lengths. Our technology captures all the variations and shows how they look uniquely on each individual.”
The feature is rolling out to iOS users on the Walmart app, but will soon also be available on desktop computers and Android devices. Nearly 300,000 fashion items across Walmart’s owned-brand portfolio, as well as some national brands — such as Levi’s, Champion and Hanes — will have the be-your-own-model capability. Users will be able to toggle back and forth between the be-your-own-model and choose-your-model features.
Walmart’s latest fashion feature comes amid the company’s multiyear journey to establish itself as a fashion destination.
Through a combination of acquisitions, high-profile collaborations and its own creative push, the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer has built an impressive roster of its own brands in recent years. Brands include Time and Tru, Bonobos, Eloquii Elements, Love & Sport, Jeans by Sofía Vergara and the Free Assembly and Scoop lines, both of which are under the creative direction of luxury designer Brandon Maxwell. There’s also a growing list of national brands available at Walmart, such as Free People, Champion, Levi Strauss and World Rugby Hall of Famer Phaidra Knight’s PSK Collective.
Walmart’s Love & Sports brand was designed in partnership with fashion designer Michelle Smith, right, and fitness instructor Stacey Griffith.
The mass merchant also dropped more than $3 billion in 2016 to buy jet.com, in an effort to ramp up its online business. The company has since shut down Jet, but continues to incorporate Jet’s online expertise into Walmart’s e-commerce businesses. In addition, the retailer’s be-your-own-model feature rolls out just one day after Walmart Canada revealed that it has partnered with Focal Systems, which uses cameras in stores to reduce inventory issues and alert stores when items are low or out of stock on shelves.
“The acquisition and implementation of the Zeekit virtual try-on platform is a huge part of [the fashion] strategy,” Incandela said. “We want to continue to evolve the online shopping experience so that we give our customers the greatest confidence when making a purchase.”
She added, though, that Walmart will continue “to play in both [e-commerce and brick-and-mortar retail], because our customers want to shop both.
“Customers were doubled down on e-commerce during the pandemic and now we’re kind of right-sizing the shopping between both channels,” Incandela said. “But both channels will continue to be important to our customer; because of that they’re important to us. So we’re constantly evolving our in-store experience and we have our store of the future and we’re excited about that.”
Still, Walmart fashion pursuits don’t come without challenges. Like many retailers, Walmart is struggling with macro headwinds, including rising prices along the supply chain, rapidly changing consumer preferences and inflation, which is causing budget-conscious shoppers to pull back on discretionary items. The expansion of Zeekit is also playing out at a time when the future of online styling services are unclear. Some digital styling services, including Stitch Fix, are struggling to retain users, while other firms are raising money to scale virtual fashion services.
Revenues in apparel, home and electronic categories fell in the most recent quarter, which led to excess inventory and increased markdowns. The company was able to grow top-line sales by 8.4 percent thanks to a strong grocery business. Still, that hasn’t stopped Walmart from chasing its long-term plans to become a fashion destination.
“Where we think we can play a strong role in our customer lives is that one, America shops at Walmart,” Incandela said, referring to the roughly 230 million people who visit Walmart stores and its related e-commerce sites around the world each week.
“Having 4,000 stores [in the U.S.] and that level of traffic is quite unique,” she continued. “So, providing exceptional style, quality at extraordinary price points to that level of traffic is a huge distinction point. Leveraging the fact that we have the frequency of traffic because of the grocery and fresh foods component of our business model and supporting our customers’ closet needs while she’s shopping for groceries, is certainly a very unique part of our model. And so, bringing on national brands, bringing on design talent, improving our in-store experience, evolving and improving our online experience, is all part of the journey that we’ve been on to create that loyalty with our consumer.
“Walmart can play an even more important part of our consumers’ lives in a challenging macro environment,” Incandela added. “Because leaning into quality assortment at exceptional value is who we are. We want to make sure that we’re giving our customers the best price and the best value and the best shopping experience. And I think in times like this that’s even more important.”
