Japanese sizing technology specialist Makip has a new UK-based client: Komodo Fashion has signed up to its specialist solution after looking at several different technology offerings previously.
Having started as a wholesaler and then moving into direct e-commerce (which now accounts for 40% of its sales), the company has seen the problems that come with a growing e-business.
Komodo manager Tony Mountford has been searching for a sizing specialist online but said he had never found a partner who was the right fit.
“I started looking into online sizing technology about five years ago, but what I discovered at the time was a technology that required a lot of work on our part,” he explained. “The providers had good features, but others were less relevant to us; “It just didn’t seem like the right time to make an investment.”
But now that it has implemented Makip’s Unisize offering, the company said the technology “is already providing good data insights to the Komodo team, allowing them to use it more efficiently. Positioning the app on the Komodo website in a way that is prominent for shoppers is encouraging usage, which is already leading to an uptick in conversion rates. Rising conversion rates are a sign of increased customer confidence, which is expected to lead to a reduction in return rates, which will overall translate into increased profits.”
Montford also said that “once the Unisize app was on the website, we were already in discussions with the Makip team to discuss how we could improve it and make the experience easier. We were impressed with how they listened to what we wanted and worked with us to develop the app to meet our needs. Often software providers can be quite rigid in what they can offer, but the team at Makip listened to us and collaborated with us.”
The partners plan to release more features of the Unisize online size measurement app “soon.”
Mountford also said the company wants to “attract new customers to buy through the website and it’s important to them that we get it right first time. By offering an accurate online sizing experience that enables customers to choose the right clothing size first time, every time, the Unisize app helps us build customer trust. Once customers are confident that our online sizing is accurate, they won’t order the same item in multiple sizes and therefore the number of returns is reduced.”
As online shopping increased in the middle of the last decade, the company said it found that “online shopping behavior definitely changed and many online fashion shoppers ordered the same item in at least two sizes. Therefore, you can assume that they plan to return at least 50% of their purchases.
“Free shipping and returns can be offered, but that will only increase the cost of the item and will not discourage unsustainable purchasing behavior. “We prefer to discourage customers from over-buying and encourage more considered purchasing.”
With the cost of returns in the UK expected to cost the country's retailers £4.4bn by 2026 (a huge amount of money for a retail industry currently worth £54bn a year), sizing Technology is currently seen as a key way to deal with the issue of returns and Makip hopes to take a big chunk of that business.
After launching in Britain last year, it is increasing its presence in the country with more staff on the ground.
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