Demystifying the Value of the Fitting Room with Data

Melissa Gonzalez on Mar 30, 2021

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Designed for retail leaders and lovers alike, Retail Refined explores the in-store technology of the future, challenges the industry’s preconceived notions, and brings together retail’s biggest names to understand the brand strategies that will define the next decade in retail.

What’s the value of the fitting room for retailers? Most don’t know because they don’t have data. In fact, many stores have little to no information on customer experiences in-store. Solving this problem is Crave Retail. The founder Matthew Cyr sat down with host Melissa Gonzalez to talk about the platform.

“The goal was how do we help physical retail digitize stores to the get the same kind of data as eCommerce” – Matthew Cyr

Cyr has an extensive background with experience in eCommerce software and in-store operations. He described Crave Retail as “an interactive experience and analytics platform that’s purpose-built for stores.”

When Cyr decided to launch the company, two driving factors guided him. First, most data that retailers have about customers is their online activity. “The goal was how do we help physical retail digitize stores to the get the same kind of data as eCommerce,” he said.

The second part was creating technology that sales associates would adopt and use. “If you’re buying a technology solution for stores and not thinking about associates, you’re going to fail. They are the frontline driving force behind customer experiences,” Cyr added.

Cyr said that one of the biggest gaps his customers are trying to understand is the value of the fitting room. Crave Retail’s Connected Fitting Room changes the game on in-store KPIs. It offers convenience and personalization. The technology works with RFID, showing shoppers the items in the fitting room, availability, pricing, discounts, and recommended items. If the customer needs help, they request it, and associates receive a notification.

This technology is also usable on the sales floor. Employees can scan an item and have accurate information on what’s available and outfit ideas.

Cyr also talked about a great success story. “The client came in with some benchmark data on fitting room traffic. After implementing Crave, they had the opportunity to measure more, seeing a 20 percent uplift in sales from the fitting room.”