Farfetch began testing VTO in the luxury experience in 2019 and immediately saw signs of both customer demand and commercial benefits. At a time when there were still doubts about digital fashion and VTO use cases for luxury, Farfetch doubled down.
Over the last 2.5 years, they have scaled the experience to cover key categories such as sneakers and watches, and launched 3D viewer experiences for bags including sizing guides. Farfetch continues to explore new immersive user experiences, in 3D technology, and improve user experience. They are scaling production, expanding to new categories, and exploring other uses of 3D technology such as photo production and design studios.
In this talk, recorded at PI Apparel Europe, Filipa Neto shares her thoughts on the Farfetch journey so far, the key insights and what is coming next for luxury digital fashion experiences. Specifically, she covers:
- Immersive Shopping Experiences: Filipa discusses Farfetch’s efforts in offering immersive shopping experiences where customers can virtually try on sneakers, watches, and beauty products. These experiences allow customers to swipe through and compare different styles, with recommendations tailored to their aesthetics. This approach has led to increased engagement and product comparisons.
- 3D Bag Viewers: The introduction of 3D bag viewers marks a significant enhancement in online shopping, moving beyond traditional 2D imagery to provide a more immersive experience. These viewers not only offer a better visual representation but also address practical considerations like size and fit by showing what items the bag can hold, thereby boosting consumer confidence in their purchases.
- Virtual Model Technology: Farfetch has incorporated technology from a company called Allure Systems to digitize models in 3D, reducing reliance on human models for some of their photography. This has led to increased diversity in model representation, improved productivity in photoshoots, and maintained quality standards as operations scale.
- Scaling 3D Assets Production: A significant focus is on overcoming challenges related to scaling 3D assets production. Although currently covering 10% of their catalog, this portion represents a significant portion of sales, indicating a high impact on revenue for those categories.
- AI Developments and Digital Fashion: The presentation highlights the crucial role of AI in enhancing digital fashion experiences by improving quality and reducing costs. Generative AI is particularly noted for its potential to create high-quality content and simulate realistic material physics, ultimately leading to more scalable and effective digital fashion solutions.
- Future Focus: Looking ahead, Farfetch aims to expand its digital offerings into new categories beyond accessories and bags, such as clothing and apparel. Continued investment in testing and iteration is planned to further improve and innovate in digital fashion experiences.
- Collaboration and Partnerships: Filipa emphasizes the importance of collaboration and partnerships in the development of 3D creation technology, indicating Farfetch’s openness to working with emerging companies and technologies to enhance their digital fashion ecosystem.
A full transcript of this talk can be found here.
