Try on sunglasses with augmented reality before buying... Lotte Home Shopping launches 'Real Fitting'

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Lotte Homeshopping announced on the 13th that it will launch an experiential service called ‘Real Fitting,’ which allows customers to virtually try on and purchase fashion accessories using augmented reality (AR) technology.

Real Fitting was introduced in response to the sharp increase in customers reluctant to visit offline stores and try on products used by multiple people due to the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The service enables virtual try-on of fashion accessories such as glasses and sunglasses.

Customers select the product they want to purchase on the Lotte Homeshopping mobile app, click the ‘Real Fitting’ menu, and then point their phone’s camera at their face to automatically see how the item looks when worn. The image moves naturally up, down, left, and right in sync with the user’s facial movements, as if they were actually wearing the product.

Currently, the service is applied to sunglasses and glasses from famous international brands such as Gucci, Anna Sui, and Brera. Next month, the service will expand to include jewelry items such as hats, necklaces, watches, and rings.

On the 14th at 8 p.m., a special broadcast celebrating the launch of the ‘Real Fitting’ service will be held on the mobile live broadcast channel ‘Mollib.’ Popular sunglasses from Gucci, Anna Sui, Lanvin, and Escada will be sold, and the show host will demonstrate the service live. Until the 31st, 150 customers who try the service and leave comments will be selected by lottery to receive Starbucks coffee vouchers and Baskin-Robbins ice cream, among other prizes.

Since August 2018, Lotte Homeshopping has been the first in the industry to introduce ‘AR View’ and ‘VR Street’ services that allow customers to experience and purchase products using augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies. The cumulative number of users has reached 4.4 million, with a continuous increase in customers.

In particular, sales through these services over the recent four months (March 1 to June 30) have tripled compared to the same period last year following the spread of COVID-19. The number of users of the service also increased by about 50% during the same period.

Jinho, head of Lotte Homeshopping’s DT Division, said, “Due to the impact of COVID-19, non-face-to-face shopping has increased, so we have introduced the ‘Real Fitting’ service that allows customers to virtually try on products using mobile devices without visiting stores. We will continue to lead untact shopping services by offering a variety of mobile experiential content.”