Want to avoid IRL dressing rooms? Walmart is expanding its "Be Your Own Model" virtual try-on technology to allow people to upload their own photos for in-app outfit assessments.
The Be Your Own Model technology debuted in March, several months after Walmart acquired virtual fitting room platform Zeekit. It allowed people to choose from "a series of models...to instantly see themselves in any item of clothing" on Walmart.com or the Walmart app.
Starting today, shoppers no longer have to rely on models; they can upload their own full-body photos to see how a certain outfit will look on them. It's currently only available on the Walmart iOS app, and Walmart says iOS users will be able to use their uploaded images on the desktop and web "shortly." Look for it on Android "in the coming weeks."
It works for more than 270,000 women's apparel items from brands including Champion, Levi's, and Hanes, as well as the Walmart Marketplace. Look for the "Try It On" button, then choose to view clothing on yourself (Be Your Own Model) or someone else (Choose My Model).
For Be Your Own Model, you must snap a full-body photo in the Walmart app. Walmart didn't specify how images are stored, except to say that your images will be saved to your account and available for future try-ons.
Virtual try-on "creates a gamification of shopping that we believe will be very compelling," says Denise Incandela, executive VP of apparel and private brands for Walmart US.
They're not the only ones: Online glasses retailer Warby Parker in 2019 tapped into Apple's ARKit and TrueDepth technology to beam frames onto your face like a Snapchat lens. YouTube and Google followed suit, offering new ways to test-drive makeup before (hopefully) making a purchase. Over the summer, Amazon introduced an augmented reality try-on feature for mobile shoe shopping, though it's dabbled in AR for years.