Walmart launches virtual fitting room; This is how mega-retailer’s tech works to make you the model of its garments

HOUSTON – Want to know how you’d look in a dress from Walmart?

The company has tech for that.

The mega-retailers said late last week that it has rolled out its Be Your Own Model tech that gives people the ability to see what they’d look like in the retailer’s apparel before buying it.

The technology comes following the purchase of a virtual try-on platform called Zeekit last year.

In a news release, Denise Incandela, executive vice president of Walmart’s Apparel and Private Brands said the application “brings the in-store fitting room experience to online shoppers.”

“This experience allows customers to use their own photo to better visualize how clothing will look on them, and creates a gamification of shopping that we believe will be very compelling to the customer,” she is quoted as saying in the news release. “Walmart is the first to offer a virtual try-on experience for apparel brands at scale, and it’s the most realistic application I have seen.”

The company said the feature is now available on more than 270,000 items across Walmart’s portfolio, including some items from its national brands like Champion, Levi’s and Hanes, as well as Free Assembly, Scoop, Sofia Jeans and Sofia Active by Sofia Vergara, Love & Sports, ELOQUII Elements, Time & Tru, Athletic Works, Terra & Sky, No Boundaries, Avia and The Pioneer Woman.

How does it work?

If an item is enabled for virtual try-on, customers will see the “Try It On” button on the item page and have the option to view clothing on themselves (Be Your Own Model) or another model (Choose My Model). To use the Be Your Own Model feature, the customer will be prompted to take a picture of themselves within the Walmart iOS app. Once an image is saved, the customer will be able to view themselves as the model each time they use the virtual try-on experience.

Be Your Own Model is currently rolling out to iOS users of the Walmart app. Shortly, iOS users will also be able to take their image in the Walmart app to use the feature on desktop or web. It will be available on Android devices in the coming weeks. Launching this next iteration of virtual try-on technology delivers on our continuous goal of making online shopping an inclusive, engaging and personalized experience that better replicates in-store shopping.