True Fit, an AI-powered personalization tool that has been refining size recommendations for nearly two decades, is now diving into the generative AI space. With its new tool, “Fit Hub,” the company aims to transform how online shoppers find clothes that fit their body type. This innovation promises to reduce the common friction points associated with online shopping, particularly the high return rates due to poor sizing.
The Challenge of Online Shopping
Sizing issues have long plagued the e-commerce industry. With an average return rate of 17.6%, consumers often resort to scrutinizing product detail pages, size charts, descriptions, and customer reviews to avoid the hassle of returns. Despite these efforts, finding the right fit remains a challenge, leading to dissatisfaction and increased operational costs for retailers.
True Fit’s latest offering, Fit Hub, addresses this issue by consolidating all relevant size and fit information into a single, user-friendly interface. This tool aims to ensure that shoppers can confidently select the right size on their first try, thereby minimizing returns and enhancing the overall shopping experience.
How Fit Hub Works
Fit Hub leverages several advanced generative AI models, including ChatGPT 4o, GPT Vision, Gemini 1.5 Pro Vision, and various open-source models, to analyze a plethora of data points. These include size charts, product descriptions, customer reviews, and sales and return data. By synthesizing this information, the AI provides personalized size recommendations, such as advising if a size 16 shopper should size down or if a garment is true to size for a size 4 shopper.
Moreover, Fit Hub offers “Fit Tips,” which give specific advice, like indicating that a particular item fits better on individuals with short torsos. Users can further personalize their experience by creating a True Fit account, where they can specify their preferred styles and brands.
Jessica Arredondo Murphy, True Fit’s co-founder and COO, highlighted the overwhelming amount of sizing information available on most retail websites. She explained, “We’ve gotten to the point where it’s almost information overload when it comes to size and fit. On any given website, you could have up to five different forms of size and fit information… We have one centralized place where we can synthesize that guidance from across the product detail page, combine new insights with traditional advice, and then simplify size and fit understanding for all types of shoppers.”
Competitive Edge and Future Developments
While similar tools exist, such as Amazon’s “Fit Insights,” True Fit’s Fit Hub offers a deeper level of analysis. The tool utilizes True Fit’s proprietary data set, “Fashion Genome,” which includes data from 82 million shoppers and nearly 30,000 brands, including well-known names like Pacsun, Macy’s, and Lululemon.
Currently in beta testing with a dozen brands, Fit Hub is expected to be available to all True Fit’s merchant partners next month. The company plans to introduce additional features later this year. For example, “Shopper Insights” will offer demographic-based product preferences, and “Brand Sizing” will help customers compare sizing with their previous purchases.
Looking ahead, True Fit is developing a generative AI chatbot designed to assist shoppers in discovering products and answering specific fit-related questions. Although still in the early stages, this feature is poised to cover up to 1 million products.
Broader Implications and Industry Impact
From my point of view, True Fit’s foray into generative AI represents a significant advancement in the online retail space. By addressing the persistent challenge of sizing, the company not only enhances the customer experience but also provides a solution that could potentially reduce return rates and associated costs for retailers.
The collaboration with Shopify to extend these advanced tools to businesses of all sizes further democratizes access to cutting-edge technology, allowing even smaller retailers to offer a highly personalized shopping experience. This move could level the playing field in the competitive e-commerce landscape, fostering innovation and growth across the sector.
As I see it, the integration of generative AI into size-and-fit recommendations is a game-changer. It streamlines the shopping process, boosts consumer confidence, and supports more sustainable shopping practices by reducing returns. True Fit’s initiatives underscore the transformative potential of AI in e-commerce, paving the way for a more efficient and satisfying online shopping experience.
