Augmented Reality, the reason ASOS is winning COVID-19?
By now, many of you must know how much I like fashion. I consider myself a fashion lover and passionate and try to maintain myself updated on the industry. And as part of that update, I’ve noticed what is not a secret for anybody: along with the majority of worldwide industries, fashion has suffered due to COVID-19. There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has largely affected the fashion industry from the people it employs to the waste it has created, however, this crisis could present an opportunity to rethink the industry. And this is all due to the sales gap on the fashion brand’s financial statements, left behind by the pandemic. Only the brands that pivoted and implemented unique strategies to captivate consumer’s attention, came out of COVID-19’s early and most dangerous phase triumphant, or at least for now.
ASOS?
In this particular case, I would like to address ASOS, or “As Seen On Screen”, a British-based e-commerce that has blown up and become one of the world’s most popular online fashion destinations. They are a conscious company that has made some progress by implementing measures to reduce carbon emissions; banning fur and having a more conscious collection. But as I will always say, much more can still be done. But let’s cut to the chase and analyze their success and how they pivoted during these hard times.
ASOS’s Augmented Reality approach
As I mentioned before, ASOS being e-commerce, meant they had a fully digital presence. A good reason for its success during COVID-19. But that wasn’t enough for lots of brands who had to stop their operations. Today, there are still 84% of customers who prefer buying in physical stores rather than online because they like trying clothes, seeing the material, and analyzing the fit in person. And that’s what ASOS accomplished with Augmented reality and with it, finally achieved their marketing objectives.
ASOS’s augmented reality consisted of enabling garments to be digitally mapped onto models in a realistic way, which takes account of the size, cut, and fit of each item of clothing. The technology’s purpose was to keep customers engaged with new product releases during the lockdown. But, what intrigued me the most about ASOS AR approach, was how they provided their customers with a realistic view of clothing items on real-life models! Even though the most basic of processes needed to keep clothing coming was disrupted, by suspending the product shoots, they found a way of pivoting and not letting the pandemic affect their sales while adhering to social-distancing restrictions.
AR from consumer and brand perspective
From the consumer’s perspective, they pivoted in real-time and understood the necessity of their clients to look at the clothing details and fit. They found a way of maintaining in the top of mind of their customers and look for ways to simplify their buying process. On the other hand, from the brand’s perspective, they took care of their staff. They knew that during these uncertain times they had to keep their employees safe and didn’t expose them even though on that depended the success of the brand.
In short, they amazed me with how they pivoted and did a really good job by implementing AR models on various of their products, and would expect them to apply it on many more.
