The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
The American retail giant announced Thursday that the intention of the acquisition is to improve the shopping experience for customers on its website.
”Virtual try-on is a game-changer and solves what has historically been one of the most difficult things to replicate online — understanding fit and how an item will actually look on you,” Denise Incandela, Walmart executive vice president of apparel and private brands said in a statement. “Zeekit will help us deliver an inclusive, immersive and personalized experience for our diverse customer base.”
Zeekit allows shoppers to see digital products on themselves after they upload photos using augmented reality technology. The Israel-based company already offers virtual try-on software to Tommy Hilfiger, Adidas and Farfetch.
As more consumers move to online shopping, brands are increasingly eyeing technology to make the e-commerce experience better. In March, Snap bought Fit Analytics, a Berlin-based fit technology startup.
It’s been a tough year for luxury e-commerce — but a crop of smaller marketplaces are beating the odds with a focus on emerging accessible luxury brands and a firmer grip on operating costs.
The nature of livestream transactions makes it hard to identify and weed out counterfeits and fakes despite growth of new technologies aimed at detecting infringement.
The extraordinary expectations placed on the technology have set it up for the inevitable comedown. But that’s when the real work of seeing whether it can be truly transformative begins.
Successful social media acquisitions require keeping both talent and technology in place. Neither is likely to happen in a deal for the Chinese app, writes Dave Lee.