The best feature of a brick and mortar store is also its worst: the fitting room.
Retail stores are better than shopping online because customers can try on clothing that looks good on the hanger, to see if it looks good on them — before buying.
But they are worse than online stores because most fitting rooms make everyone feel bad. After hauling their picks to the room, the only help they get is a sales person who says "Only five!" Once in, the customer can't help but look badly in the tiny spaces with horrible lighting, no place to sit and no way to get another size.
Jennifer Baumgartner, a clinical psychologist and author of You Are What You Wear: What Your Clothes Reveal About You, writes that some retailers are trying technology to fix the experience.
Macy's and Zara are testing smartphones and tablets that let shoppers select additional items to try on, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. Nordstrom is testing interactive mirrors that allow you to browse product reviews or summon help.
Other companies advise bringing virtual reality into the dressing room so shoppers can see garments in different colors and sizes without leaving the fitting room.
Does it have to be that fancy?
According to a 2015 study from the University of North Carolina, increasing fitting-room staff by just one worker relieves congestion and increases sales per hour by 16 percent.
Marge Laney, Alert Tech's CEO, says it's challenging to convince retailers that sticking shoppers in an unattended, barren box is bad for business. They can't see the return on investment even for something as inexpensive as better lighting.
Managers at Rebecca Minkoff stores don't feel that way. They are testing a program that lets patrons flip through lighting templates to show what they'd look like in the office, during the day and during the night. Through radio-frequency identification, screens know what clothing is being tried on and show customers different colors and sizes.
