Could Technology Solve an Issue with Online Purchases and Retail?

Online retailers are unstoppable. From Vivienne Westwood to Ocado, ASOS to MasterClass, people prefer to make purchases online. Of American online shoppers, 59% have bought clothes online, according to OptinMonster, while the number of those who have engaged with an online product is likely to be greater. From the online casino industry to fashion, how has technology improved existing industries? 

Could the R Reflections App Help Fix Online Clothes Shopping?

Despite the growing fashion market and the rising competition, there is one aspect of buying clothes online that some customers are dissatisfied with. It’s hard to tell if the clothes would suit you until you have them in your hands – at which point it may be too late, if they were purchased for a special occasion. A 19-year-old from Britain has come up with a solution to this, using technology. Rebecca Mabbett’s brainchild – the R Reflections app – enables you to virtually try on clothes before making a purchase.

The app lets you upload photos of yourself and then lets you virtually dress your image in the clothes you are looking to buy. This could help you make the decision as to whether to buy them or not based on how they look. Rebecca suggested that clothes she tried on didn’t always suit her body shape or skin tone, so being able to see herself and the clothes together seemed a logical solution.

Modern Technology for Traditional Goals 

The fashion world wouldn’t be the first to experience a longstanding problem being solved through technology. For example, language learning is found on many people’s New Year’s resolution lists but is rarely actually achieved. Online programs, such as the Duolingo app, or a number of podcasts on Spotify have presented solutions to this. Being able to track progress on an app or being able to fit in language learning alongside everyday life has helped engage more people to learn a language.

How has Modern Technology Improved the Online Casino Industry?

The online casino industry utilized technology to bring a series of games to new audiences. Taking a traditional industry, such as iGaming, and updating it for audiences who spend more time online, helped take advantage of the growing digital opportunities. As Royal Panda shows through their range of live casino games and video slots, technology has provided a new way for fans to engage with traditional casino games. For example, live casino enables the player to see the dealer in real-time, while video slots incorporate immersive entertainment, which is facilitated through the digital means of playing.    

The online casino industry provides a good comparison to fashion retail because both are examples of traditional industries that have grown after migrating online. By moving online, the online casino industry was able to target new audiences. Similarly, online retail does the same. Smaller retailers can tap into a wider market from around the country and even world than they would be able to solely existing on a city’s high street. The essence of both industries stayed the same while they took advantage of what technology could offer to modify and adapt. 

Online clothes shopping is a habit many have grown into – it fills time, it allows us to live out our fantasies, and provides us with retail therapy. But many are left despondent to discover the clothes they saw online do not match the ones they hold in their hands. Technology could be the answer to this – just as it proved to be the solution for many other industries from online casino to language learning.