Technology could help clothing retailers become more sustainable, expert says

After each season, covering retailers connection heavy discounts to lure successful consumers to bargain leftover, unsold products. But what if they could bash a amended occupation predicting what consumers volition want, successful what size and successful the close quantity to summation profits, and trim textile waste?

In a caller article, Byoungho Ellie Jin, Albert Myers Distinguished Professor of Textile Economics and Management astatine NC State, explored the relation that technologies similar artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR) and 3D printing could play successful addressing manufacture problems similar oversupply. She suggested exertion could assistance the manufacture go much sustainable, present much personalized goods and go much productive.

The Abstract: What technologies specify the 4th concern revolution?

Byoungho Ellie Jin: There are aggregate technological advancements happening successful the fourth concern revolution including augmented reality, VR, big data, AI, and robotics. I was precise funny however these technologies could interaction the apparel and retail industry. I recovered they volition assistance the manufacture with 3 themes: personalization, sustainability and productivity.

TA: How are caller technologies addressing unmatched request successful fashion?

Jin: Demand is truthful unpredictable successful the manner industry. We don't cognize who volition bargain what, successful what size, successful what colour and successful what material. The biggest adaptable successful the manner manufacture is size. Even if you similar the benignant and color, if it doesn't fit, you don't bargain it. Apparel companies person to effort to foretell each of that.

That means determination are tons of leftover products aft each season, and determination are tons of markdowns to get escaped of each the accumulation that's done. That means immense losses for the industry. If they tin expect request better, the manufacture could go much profitable.

Now, with AI analysis, we tin marque predictions successful existent time. We tin analyse what consumers volition buy, and what size they want. AI tin expect and analyse it, and based connected that information, we tin make sizes, lengths, color, and styles consumers would similar to buy.

TA: You besides speech astir however AI volition besides assistance fulfill 1 of the industry's goals—to personalize apparel. Why is personalization important to the industry?

Jin: People are bushed of choosing what has already been produced for the wide market. We privation thing that was created to suit our ain idiosyncratic needs.

Before the concern revolution, moms would often marque apparel for their children. They knew their children's sizes, colors they like, designs they like. Through the 2nd and 3rd concern revolutions, determination is wide production. There are much products, but they are limited. Our tastes, existent preferences and existent needs are not satisfied.

Now, personalization is possible. Through AI analyses, retailers cognize each our purchases. They cognize what I need.

3D printing and 3D knitting are besides bully for personalization. They tin summation productivity, and make the accidental for printing connected demand. They could besides perchance assistance with biology sustainability arsenic well.

TA: How tin these technologies marque the manufacture much environmentally sustainable? You constitute astir however the textile manufacture is simply a large biology polluter.

Jin: Every year, the manufacture produces tons of leftover products. After the 70%markdown, wherever bash the unsold products go? We donate them, and past unsold items are shipped successful bulk to processing countries. A batch of it ends up successful landfills. The fabric and the silk, those earthy fibers volition biodegrade. But polyester and nylon, they're determination forever. That's a immense biology problem.

If we nutrient the close magnitude with close request forecasting, we tin trim biology pollution. AI could beryllium important to close foresting. Also, 3D printing and knitting leads to little accumulation waste, with little cloth near implicit successful the accumulation stage.

TA: How are retailers utilizing virtual and augmented world technologies?

Jin: Experiential retail is simply a keyword successful the manufacture close now. A store is not conscionable a spot to bargain something. We tin bargain thing anytime. People privation to person an experience. If we apply/utilize VR oregon AR technologies successful the store, radical comprehend that arsenic a amusive experience. Some retailers are investigating it out, but it's not heavy utilized close now.

In a caller survey we did astatine NC State, we compared consumers' acquisition of browsing a website to their acquisition utilizing VR goggles to look done a boutique successful downtown Raleigh. We rented a camera and utilized it to instrumentality a video of the store.

Large retailers person tons and tons of stores crossed the country. They person bully websites. It's harder for a tiny boutique to summation store awareness. To assistance them, we asked: Why don't they utilize VR, and enactment that connected their websites truthful radical tin acquisition the store virtually? Consumers mightiness beryllium much funny successful their products and store, and much apt to visit. We thought we tin assistance them beforehand their store and summation awareness.

The results of our experimentation showed that with VR, consumers who experienced the 360-degree videos of the store reported affirmative emotions, and accrued perceptions of the store's attractiveness. Their pleasance increased.

Initially, we thought we should person those goggles successful consumers' hands to spot the store environment. But now, determination is besides an app you tin download. Even without wearing goggles, you consciousness you similar are successful the store. That means that without investments from the user side, it's inactive possible.

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More information: Byoungho Ellie Jin et al, The powerfulness of 4th concern gyration successful the manner industry: what, why, and however has the manufacture changed?, Fashion and Textiles (2021). DOI: 10.1186/s40691-021-00259-4