ASOS Launches AI Technology Effecting Emotional, Societal And Environmental Change
Tonya Russell has taken clothes shopping online to avoid malls and the dressing room. Online shopping, a convenient and consuming task, has 92% of the U.S. engaged.
Something as simple as buying the right size can be a struggle, said Russell, a fitness influencer and ASOS shopper. Being able to predict what size you need is extremely beneficial, she said.
ASOS, a British online fashion and cosmetics retailer, recently launched an artificial intelligence sizing tool that enables you to pick a model with your height and clothing size. After struggling for years to guess whether clothes would fit, customers will be able to see how the clothes look on their body type.
“One thing that keeps me coming back is the fact that I can see someone who may have a body like mine in the clothes I’m buying,” she said.
This new implementation aims to offer customers a better way of viewing their products in real life. ASOS collects data from their customers’ prior purchases and returns to provide personal sizing suggestions. This feature is powered by Fit Analytics.
The addition of AI technology to online shopping is not a new feature; however, experts say it can have emotional, societal and environmental effects.
Emotional
As someone who has struggled with an eating disorder, Russell said she believes the new technology will open up online shopping to people whose bodies might not be sample size.
ASOS eliminates having to try clothes on at the store and will help the accuracy of online shopping Russell said.
With this new feature, customers will be able to order one size of an item instead of buying a variety to return later.
“It might open up their client base,” Russell said. “They will know exactly what they will look like.”
Russell said she believes the AI technology will help people with body dysmorphic disorder. BDD, according to the American Psychological Association, is a mental health disorder where a person becomes preoccupied with an imagined physical defect or a minor defect that others often cannot see.
“It may be able to change their perspective,” she said. Oftentimes people will think that clothes are not going to fit or certain clothes will not look good on their body. Russell said this technology will challenge those perceptions.
Societal
“There are more options now,” said Harriet Brown, a Newhouse professor and body inclusion advocate. She said the fashion industry has grown recalling her sister having to shop in the ‘husky’ section at age 10.
Brown said this new AI technology will change the exclusionary nature of non-normative body types from the fashion industry.
“Any body type that doesn’t fit the very Eurocentric cultural beauty norms, which in the 21st century is white, blonde and thin, very thin with boobs and a butt,” are often excluded Brown said.
Newhouse professor, Harriet Brown talks about the changes in the fashion industry to include non-normative body types. Graphic by Blessing Emole
She included that plus-size, disabled and intersex bodies, to name a few, are left out of contemporary media. “We live in a culture that’s extremely racist, misogynistic and equalist,” Brown said.
The ability of women and men to find their true sizes will change the distribution of power and privilege that certain groups have over others. “They get to write the narrative, and they get to make the rules,” she said.
Although Brown said the fashion industry has become more inclusive as time has gone on, she thinks it’s “on a superficial level.”
The hesitation for designers to include plus-size women is puzzling to Brown. “There’s a lot of money on the table, but a lot of designers and manufacturers are willing to walk away from that,” she said.
Brown said the belief that only some bodies are ‘okay’ has been deeply ingrained in the cultural norms surrounding bodies and beauty.
According to Brown, ASOS brings a level of representation with the addition of this technology. “It’s so empowering,” she said.
Environmental
As technology may help with more than body image. It may work to save the environment as well, said some experts.
Alberto Gil, co-founder of Hockerty, a made-to-measure brand for men out of Zürich, Switzerland said AI technology for online shopping is not a new occurrence.
Gil said Hockerty realized it was hard for people to get their correct measurements, so a second company was created to eliminate this issue. Gil said Verisize offers the same services as today’s ‘Fit Analytics.’
“I have been seeing lots of companies appear and disappear that are offering similar services with different approaches,” Gil said.
However, Gil said ASOS has the right foundation because of the range of customers that they serve. The website sells over 850 brands and ships to over 196 countries. This large customer base, Gil said, allows the website to find “a true size.”
“Table sizes are such an old-fashioned solution. Technology is here to help, the faster it is implemented, the better for the industry, for customers and for the planet.”
These types of services are important for both customers and businesses, he said.
Because brands do not have universal sizing, Gil said people are often in doubt about their sizes. This leads many people to order multiple sizes to see which fits and then return the rest.
“This is not efficient for businesses or the environment,” said Gil. The elimination of size guessing reduces the amount of plastic waste and shipping that comes with returning items.
Gil said ASOS’ new AI technology is a small step toward sustainability in the fashion industry.
Other fashion brands, like Zara, Amazon and H&M, have started implementing AI technology to help their customers choose the right size.
“Table sizes are such an old-fashioned solution. Technology is here to help, the faster it is implemented, the better for the industry, for customers and for the planet,” Gil said.
