USA: The invention of an interactive retail mirror enables shoppers to get instant virtual feedback from friends who might be in another part of the globe

A New York-based design company has come up with a mirror equipped with infrared technology that sends a live video feed to any cell phone, e-mail account or personal digital assistant device selected by a shopper, thereby letting them get instant feedback during their shopping process. Mirror, mirror, on the wall, does this outfit make me look good, bad, short or tall? A New York-based design company, IconNicholson, has come up with a mirror equipped with infrared technology that sends a live video feed to any cell phone, e-mail account or personal digital assistant device selected by a shopper. Placing these mirrors outside store fitting rooms means women could go shopping with their friends -- remotely. Using the interactive mirror, a shopper's friends can text message back with comments about the outfit. The messages then appear on the mirror screen for the shopper to be able to read easily. The responses can also be quantified so the shopper sees how many nays and yeas she gets for a particular outfit. The interactive retail mirror was developed especially for the New York fashion designer Nanette Lepore and will likely be used in one of her boutiques in a few months. But Rachel McBrearty, V.P. Creative Strategy for IconNicholson, who demonstrated the different functions of the interactive retail mirror along with a model trying on Lepore dresses, said that going ahead - similar interactive mirrors could be designed for other retail clients as well. "When the customers walks into the store, they change in the dress and step out, instead of asking their girlfriends - how do I look? - they can step in front of the mirror and ask the world - what they think? They can get ratings, just a quick -- do they look good, do they look bad, like a thumbs up or thumbs down. They can also get suggestions from the people online what other things might look good on them as well as text messages telling them exactly how they look," said McBrearty. Shoppers can also use touch screens on the three-paneled mirror to choose matching shoes or accessories. The interactive mirror has two panels -- the left-hand panel has a touch screen that allows a customer to select a different outfit from a database, and then see how it looks on her in the centre mirror without physically putting the garment on. The right-hand panel has a screen offering more information about other shoes or accessories the shopper also might like. Christopher Enright, Chief Technology Officer for IconNicholson said that the interactive retail mirror is a natural retail development borne of a networked world where the youth especially is in constant contact with each other. He emphasized that teenagers were already using their cell phones to send pictures to their friends when they were out shopping. "People are using social networking to talk to each other, to share opinions, to have virtual interactions, whether positive or negative, or however it works out. This is really the area that people discuss and have forums today, so building on that trend that we have now, especially 2005-2006, it really allows the retailer to take advantage of this connection and use all of these things - video like in YouTube, Iming like we all know AOL, MSN, so on so forth and all of the different platforms to really get opinions of people," said Enright. While McBrearty believes that interactive mirrors are just one part of the entire social retailing phenomenon which she sees as having exponential potential for growth, as consumers get more and more comfortable with shopping online and have higher expectations from their real-time shopping experiences in stores.

ITN Source | February 3, 2007

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