CUSTOMERS bought $9.6 billion worth of apparel online in the United States last year, according to Forrester Research, the Internet consulting firm. But not one of those customers tried anything on first.That is one reason that online purchases represent a paltry 5 percent of overall apparel sales. Customers return 30 percent of the clothes they buy online, industry executives say.
So why not have a Web site where users can provide their basic body dimensions and style preferences, then see all the available clothing that would fit well and suit their taste? (It is an idea so obvious that one wonders why it isn’t an established part of online shopping already: merchandise returns would drop, customers might well be happier and the Web site would earn a commission for every sale.)
That is the approach of a new Internet company, myShape.com, which has recorded the measurements of about 20,000 women in a five-month trial period that ended Sunday. The women shopped from personalized clothing collections matched to their style and fit preferences and body dimensions.
