H&M Group upgrades stores with smart technology

Technology plays a key role in enhancing the shopping experience and building relevant customer relationships, says H&M Group. The retailer is testing some innovative solutions in stores of fashion label COS.

Virtual clothing fitting

In US COS shops, H&M is rolling out a pilot project with new solutions aimed at providing shoppers with a seamless and enjoyable shopping experience. Customers can get style advice, faster checkout and improved delivery and return options. After all, expectations are ever higher when it comes to choice and convenience, the retailer says.

In a first pilot store, in Beverly Hills, COS equipped the fitting rooms with smart mirrors that recognise product, size and colour and then give customers personal styling advice. From the fitting room, you can also have additional pieces delivered, without having to go back into the store yourself. In the store itself there are other types of mirrors where customers can try on clothes virtually. H&M is also testing new, faster check-out solutions. Customers no longer have to queue up, but can check out with staff on the shop floor.

Advice from algorithms

After the first positive experiences in Beverly Hills, H&M now wants to roll out the technology to additional American COS shops. It is not known if and when the technology will also come to Europe.

The use of innovative technology on the shop floor is not new. American fashion chain Rebecca Minkoff has been using digital gadgets on the shop floor for several years now. And just recently, Amazon opened its first Style clothing store. There, shoppers shop via an app and receive personalised style advice based on algorithms.