Debenhams will partner with virtual fitting room and try on platform, be Retail Social, deploying its virtual try on tech across its beauty products, before extending it in to its fashion and clothing brands.

be Retail Social’s AI-powered virtual fitting room platform delivers enhanced customer experience by blending animated, interactive and personalised content with social influence. It allows shoppers to swipe through different collections and products and then invite friends, family, followers or brand shopping consultants into their virtual fitting room for instant feedback. By helping customers discover, consider and select the right product, the solution supports higher conversions and Average Order Value (AOV), as well as reducing returns rates.

“We first engaged with Debenhams around our virtual fitting room platform for fashion and sportswear, however, they quickly saw an opportunity that aligned with their beauty initiatives,” Simon Iddon, Founder and CEO of be Retail Social, explained. He added that the solution would provide the ability to promote customisation and showcase Debenhams’ full range “effortlessly” to shoppers.

“We are always looking for ways to provide a differentiated and enhanced customer experience, giving users more engaging and personalised ways to consider our range of products and make more informed purchasing decisions,” Daniel Finley, CEO of Debenhams, commented.

“We love innovation and think the use of moving, personalized human avatars with social influence is a real step forward in the virtual try-on space for beauty and fashion and [are] already seeing tangible benefits.”

Daniel Finley, CEO, Debenhams

Last year, Debenhams also turned to social to improve conversions on its site, partnering with Taggstar. It deployed machine learning-supported social proof messaging across its product details pages (PDP) and basket pages.  This leveraged Taggstar’s solution that uses an algorithm that curates social proof messages based on shoppers’ on-site behaviours.

It then continuously tests all message combinations, ensuring the right messages or combination of messages – from ‘trending now’ to the number of items sold or the amount of other shoppers currently viewing the same item – are delivered at the right time in the customer journey to optimise conversions and sales.