It's more common than ever to do all our shopping online. But when it comes to buying clothes, we may shy away from purchasing certain items in fear that the size won't fit or the style just won't be as flattering on us compared with the model images.
Then again, sometimes we really don't feel like spending hours in the fitting room — especially during the crowded holiday season when we have to keep running back and forth to get a smaller or larger size or find an outfit that better suits the occasion we're shopping for. If only we had the comfort of trying on clothes in our own homes.
Well, it appears that shoppers are getting this very wish come true thanks to a new app for the Xbox One that turns your living room into a virtual fitting room.
Launched in the U.S. by Microsoft Ventures graduate Von Bismark, the Dublin-based retailer that specializes in television e-commerce, the new app called The Mall uses its software and technology to provide a virtual wardrobe along with Xbox One's Kinect motion-tracking camera to allow users to try the clothes on.
"The Mall on Xbox One is the first giant step in our vision to create more beautiful, physically engaging e-commerce experience, delivered through the largest piece of visual real estate you own—the living room TV," Von Bismark CEO Eoghan O'Sullivan said in a press release. "The Xbox One is the perfect device to launch on—it's incredibly powerful, built for smooth interaction and with the Kinect camera we can bring you as close to physically trying on the clothing as you will ever get when shopping online."
Xbox One's shopping app features the brands SoccerPro, Style PB, Grayers and Go2Games, with more brands being adding in the upcoming months. To use The Mall, the user simply browses through the stores, selects an outfit, and then stands in front of the television to allow the Kinect to track their body. This lets them try on the clothes in real time.
Users can then purchase items using the PowaTag mobile payment app for iOS and Android, which securely stores credit card and shipping information to provide one-touch check-outs, so that users don't need to use their Xbox controllers to fill out their info each time. E-commerce company Powa Technologies uses its mobile payment app to link the purchaser's credit card and shipping details to the product on screen.
The Mall launched on Monday first for the Xbox One, but Von Bismark has plans to bring the virtual reality fitting room and shopping app to other smart TVs and devices over the next two years. It is expected to be available in the U.K. and Canada starting in February.
Source: 123 Kinect
