Aditya Birla's Abof unveils 3D trial room for women's wear

Fashion e-tailer Abof.com, part of the Aditya Birla Group, now allows users to virtually try on apparel in its 3D trial room.

In a press statement, the one-month-old venture said that women can try on clothes by giving out three basic body measurements.

The 3D trial room, powered by online fitting technology firm Metail, allows users to get the right size recommendation and provides a complete outfit view.

Abof.com claims that conversion rate for products available with 3D trial is 400 per cent higher and return rates are almost zero. The average return rate in the apparel category is 20 per cent and unsatisfactory fit is the top reason for returns, said Vikram Bhat, chief product officer at Abof.com. The 3D trial room feature was selectively available since last month.

"Moreover, in a recent survey of users (who have never shopped online for fashion), we discovered that over 50 per cent (respondents) gave size concerns as the biggest barrier to shopping online. Therefore, we decided to…address the issue of fit visualisation and size recommendations," Bhat added.

The Aditya Birla Group launched Abof.com as a platform to sell apparel, footwear and accessories, highlighting the growing importance of e-commerce for brick-to-mortar retailers. The shopping site sells its own merchandise as well as products from other brands.

The Aditya Birla Group houses India's top branded clothing company by revenues and number of outlets, Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail. It was created in May this year when the group consolidated its branded apparel business under its lifestyle retail firm Pantaloons Fashion and Retail India Ltd and renamed it Aditya Birla Fashion.

Abof.com competes with the likes of Flipkart-owned Myntra and Rocket Internet-backed Jabong, besides horizontal e-commerce players such as Amazon and Snapdeal.

Another direct competitor would be Koovs.com. The lifestyle e-commerce venture's parent, Koovs plc, is in talks with existing and other investors to raise £35 million (around $53 million, or close to Rs 350 crore) for stepping up its marketing spends to better compete with peers.