Walmart Shareholders

20 • Walmart Shareholders • 2022 Democrat-Gazette Staff Walmart Inc.'s new digital model feature on its website and app lets shoppers visualize how clothing items might look on them before they click on the "buy" button. e company said in March that it's now using virtual fitting room technology developed by Zeekit, an Israel-based company it acquired. e idea behind the shopping platform is to take the hassle out of buying clothes online, Walmart said. "Our goal is to deliver an inclusive, immersive and personalized digital experience that will better replicate physical shopping," said Denise Incandela, executive vice president of apparel and private brands for Walmart U.S. e Bentonville-based retailer is introducing Zeekit's platform with a feature called Choose My Model that allows online shoppers to select an image of a model they feel best matches their own body shape and skin tone. As they browse Walmart's collection of private-label and exclusive, higher-end apparel brands, they'll find a prompt to choose a model on the pages of select apparel items. ey'll then see the model wearing the clothing. For now, customers have 50 models to choose from. ese range in height from 5 feet 2 inches to 6 feet, and sizes extra small to triple- extra large. Walmart said it will add another 70 models in the weeks ahead for an even wider range of sizes, skin tones and hair colors. "Extraordinary, positive customer feedback" on the Choose My Model feature "underscores our opportunity and ability to solve a common online shopping problem," Incandela said But Walmart's not stopping there. Incandela said the company is also preparing a virtual try-on function that will let women upload their photos and instantly see themselves in any article of clothing the retailer carries. ey can also share these virtual outfits with friends for a second opinion. "is brings an inclusive and social experience to digital shopping," Incandela said. She didn't say when virtual try-on will debut. Keith Anderson, senior vice president of strategy and insight for e-commerce analytics firm Profitero, said Walmart's objectives with these features are likely cutting costs related to product returns as well as improving the experience for online shoppers. "Shoes and apparel have among the highest return rates in e-commerce," Anderson said. ese typically range from 30% to 40%, he said, "and the cost of reverse logistics is profound." ere have been at least 20 such "experiments" with virtual fitting room technology over the years, said Sucharita Kodali, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research. "e challenges are in how well the virtual models are rendered, how well the clothing is represented on the model and how well the solution works on different devices and different internet connections," Kodali said. Meeting these challenges successfully requires accuracy and ease of use, but achieving these is "easier said than done," she said. "Is Walmart finally the one to launch the right virtual fitting room solution at a time in commerce that people are willing to adopt it?" she said. "at remains to be seen." Walmart feature lets shoppers try clothes sans dressing room

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