FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FIT:MATCH, an apparel shopping match platform that delivers a transformative retail experience for shoppers and brands, and Brookfield Properties today announced the national rollout of FIT:MATCH’s 3D AI-powered match technology. The companies will officially launch the contactless FIT:MATCH Studio experience in three shopping centers, beginning with Oakbrook Center in the Chicago area in mid-August, followed by the Glendale Galleria in the LA area and Stonebriar Centre in the Dallas area in mid-September.
“Apparel retail hasn’t evolved much in the last 50 years, with stores and websites still presenting an overwhelming assortment of products to customers, placing the burden on them to select the right items,” said Haniff Brown, Founder and CEO of FIT:MATCH. “The industry needs a transformative overhaul, and the pandemic has only increased that need. We are championing a bold future of omni-channel apparel retail that is contactless and asset-light and that uses 3D and AI technologies to eliminate fit risk, streamline the customer experience and give customers only what they want, while freeing them from ever having to try on clothes again. We’re extremely pleased to be working with Brookfield Properties to roll out the FIT:MATCH experience to change apparel shopping for the better.”
FIT:MATCH has reengineered the apparel shopping journey to prioritize fit first and style second to present online shoppers only with products that are ideal matches for their exact body, while hiding the rest. Once a shopper has been “fitched” at a FIT:MATCH Studio and received their unique FITCH ID, the platform presents them with an edited, personalized assortment of products that have a 90% or better likelihood of fitting them. The FIT:MATCH algorithm—which assigns a unique relevancy score to each user for each apparel item based on their FITCH ID, data from brands’ tech packs, and specifications such as fabric type and stretch—gets smarter over time as it learns more about the user’s fit and style preferences. Other solutions sort product recommendations based on style first, then filter by size, meaning that shoppers have to sift through an overwhelming array of items and guess which ones might fit them best.
Beginning mid-August, shoppers at Oakbrook Center will be able to walk in to the FIT:MATCH Studio to register and get fitched in just two minutes. They can then immediately start shopping a personalized assortment of apparel matches from participating brands without having to try on clothes or touch anything other than their own smartphone. The 778-square-foot studio presents an engaging data-driven experience designed to catch the interest of passers-by and compel them to step inside and discover how getting fitched can make apparel shopping easier and more enjoyable.
“We are always focused on innovating to make the consumer shopping experience better and to drive results for our brand partners,” said Patty Hirt, Director of Retail Development at Brookfield Properties. “We collaborated with FIT:MATCH on a highly successful pilot of the studio experience in our Baybrook Mall property, so we’re very excited to now be expanding our strategic partnership and investment. We’re confident this data-driven, contactless experience will drive traffic and engagement at Oakbrook Center while permanently addressing one of the most intractable problems we all face when shopping for clothes—finding exactly the right fit.”
FIT:MATCH and Brookfield Properties initially collaborated on a limited-time pilot of the FIT:MATCH Studio concept in Houston’s Baybrook Mall in late 2019 and early 2020. That pilot generated an 80% participation rate among people who entered the FIT:MATCH Studio and resulted in nearly 4,000 consumers getting fitched and joining the platform over a three-month period, without any advertising. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and the experience achieved a Net Promoter Score of 90%. The pilot revealed that shoppers innately understand the value of providing their fit and preference data in exchange for never having to try on clothes again.
To get fitched and receive a FITCH ID, a shopper first answers a few questions on their mobile phone, providing their name and fit preferences. The FIT:MATCH technology then captures 150 points of their body data in about 10 seconds. Then, they simply click a link to start shopping their personalized assortment of apparel matches so they can shop what fits, not what doesn’t.
About FIT:MATCH
FIT:MATCH has combined the latest data science and 3D measurement technology to create a highly integrated online/offline apparel shopping match platform that delivers a transformative, contactless retail experience for shoppers and brands. The proprietary 3D AI-powered technology matches shoppers with apparel products that fit them based on accurate body data and preferences, and hides the items that don’t fit them. The first-of-its-kind technology integration has been engineered to increase products’ relevance to shoppers and, therefore, sales conversion as well as to decrease returns. For more information, visit ShopFitMatch.com.
About Brookfield Properties
Brookfield Properties is a fully-integrated, global real estate services company that provides industry-leading portfolio management and development capabilities across the real estate investment strategies of Brookfield Asset Management — a global alternative asset manager with over $515 billion in assets under management.
Brookfield Properties develops and manages premier real estate with a focus on maximizing the tenant experience in addition to the investment and operational performance of the asset. We also focus on integrating leading-edge real estate technologies, which enables us to be at the forefront of innovation and sustainability – benefiting not only our tenants, residents and business partners, but also the communities in which we operate.
For more information about our approach to operating and developing best-in-class real estate, please visit www.brookfieldproperties.com.