Now, San Francisco-based startup Oak Labs is bringing the humble fitting room into the “smart” age.
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Theoretically, all you need to create a functional fitting room are a few walls, and if you’re feeling generous, maybe decent lighting and a mirror. Each item in the Oak Labs mirror comes with its own stylist recommendations that include other items in the store, with Oak Labs hoping you’ll buy more when you’re in control of your own shopping experience. “Fully wired fitting rooms and the digital displays for PoloTech blend in seamlessly with the fireplaces and Ralph’s Coffee shop”, David Lauren, executive vice president of global advertising, marketing and corporate communications at Ralph Lauren, told WWD. “We are on the cusp of a tectonic shift”.
To compare Oak Labs mirror to character Cher Horowitz’s computerized closet in the movie Clueless is not only cliche, it’s a disservice.
While the idea stems from past experiences, Cypher is clear that Oak uses all proprietary hardware and software, built by electrical engineers on staff, which is now comprised of 10 full-time employees.
A new Oak Fitting Room at the Polo Ralph Lauren flagship in Manhattan.
While Oak Labs now does not track a person’s purchase history, that could change.
Oak Labs’ partnership with Ralph Lauren seemed to be just as seamless as Oak Lab’s technology.
The former implies that a series of siloed organizations and experiences – mobile, Web, app and in-store – are trying to weave a cohesive thread, but this is not how Cypher thinks organizations should approach the on- and off-line worlds.
For now, Oak Labs is betting that the technology will pay off handsomely for brick-and-mortar retailers.
Radio-frequency identification technology behind the digital screens scans clothing tags in the fitting room and reflects each item on the mirror screen. When a customer enters the room, the mirror activates upon recognizing the hangtags on the items brought in. Instead, they are informed of the exact style, color and size, as well as exactly where an in-store item is located. Smart dressing rooms help cut down on the inefficiency of hailing a sales rep and sending them out into the store to search for an item. This simple feature ensures fast service and even eliminates untimely encounters with sales associates when the shopper is half-dressed. They are welcomed by a user interface and given the choice of three lighting settings: Fifth Avenue Daylight, East Hampton Sunset and Evening at The Polo Bar. Each associate’s response can be messaged back to the customer’s mirror in any of the given languages. Had she taken the item into one of the dressing rooms, she’d immediately find an image of the turtleneck displayed on the touchscreen mirror in front of her, with options to request a different size, a different color or a pair of jeans to go with it.
With associate and costumer liaising refined to the customer’s core needs, there’s no longer time wasted on the retail assistant’s part playing the guessing games with the customers. Retailers using the technology will get all kinds of new data on their customers, including specific info around fitting room sessions (volume, duration, and conversion).
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Having secured a partnership with Polo Ralph Lauren, the company will be introducing its new smart fitting room in the clothing giant’s store on New York’s 5th Avenue.
