Gap Inc. Acquires 3D Virtual Fitting Room Startup Drapr
Gap Inc. is acquiring eCommerce startup, Drapr, in an effort to help customers find better fitting clothes for their personal style and body type while helping retailers reduce overall product return rates.
The move to acquire the online application comes at a time when brands and retailers are heavily investing in creating personalized experiences, especially in light of consumers’ shift toward online shopping over the past 18 months.
With Drapr, Gap Inc. hopes to create an overall enhanced online user experience (UX) and solve a major pain point for customers when shopping for apparel online — fit.
“Fit is the number one point of friction for customers and, through their advanced 3D technology, Drapr has shown it can help shoppers efficiently find the size and fit they need. We plan to leverage Drapr to help Gap Inc. improve the fit experience for our customers and accelerate our ongoing digital transformation,” said Sally Gilligan, Chief Growth Transformation Officer at Gap Inc., in a company statement.
The acquisition follows Old Navy’s recent efforts to redefine size inclusion both in-store and online through a new initiative called “BODEQUALITY.”
“With the launch of BODEQUALITY, we reinvented our fit process at Old Navy to give women greater confidence in their clothes, no matter the size. Drapr’s technology will help us continue to build on this expertise and deliver a more personalized and inclusive fit experience for all of our customers by showing them how an item will actually look on their body while also recommending the best fit for them based on their individual preferences,” said Nancy Green, President & CEO of Old Navy.
Through the “Bodequality” initiative, the retailer will offer women’s styles in sizes 0–28 across its footprint of 1,200 stores. In addition, all Old Navy stores will also offer new inclusive visual cues for shoppers, including mannequins in sizes four, 12 and 18, alongside new BODEQUALITY marketing imagery.
The deal was brokered by Gap Inc’s Strategic Growth Office division, led by Gilligan. The unit is noted to seek out investments that fuel growth and accelerate new capabilities at Gap Inc. and across its portfolio of brands, aiming to meet both consumer and industry demands.
Old Navy Launches “Bodequality,” Gets Inclusive In-Store And Online
Originally published at https://retailbum.com on August 27, 2021.