Episode Details

What does the perfect fit really look like? Sabrina Abney, Ecommerce Director at Mizzen + Main, and David Pastewka , Co-Founder at Drapr, join the show to talk optimizing virtual try-on solutions, "comfortable AF" clothing, technology in digital-first marketplaces, and crafting the best-possible customer journey.

Listen now!

Main Takeaways:

• David Pastewka, co-founder of Drapr, and Sabrina Abney, Director of eCommerce at Mizzen+Main, join Brian and Phillip on today's episode.

• Mizzen+Main is using innovative technologies like Drapr to take the online customer experience to new levels of personalization and ease. 

• Customers are becoming increasingly accustomed to a one-to-one retail experience, and body data is allowing brands to create just that. 

• Body data is allowing brands to get deeper insights into their customer bases to not only understand physical attributes of their core customers, but also to predict what sizes need to have larger inventory to meet consumer demand.

A Virtual Try-On Company Meets Quality and Comfort: The Drapr/Mizzen+Main Story:

• Phillip met David a few months ago at the Drapr booth during RetailX and was taken back by how

• Drapr allows customers to virtually see how clothing from various retailers will fit over their actual bodies in a way that is as close to photo-realism as possible while browsing on a store's website.

• Sabrina takes us through a brief history of Mizzen+Main and how the founder came up with the idea after observing a bunch of sweaty interns. 

• Phillip remembers the first time he encountered Mizzen+Main through one of their memorable domain: comfortable.af. 

Solving Fit Issues of Digitally Native Brands: Drapr Saves the Day:

• Sabrina comments that all digitally native brands are challenged by the fact that customers can't try on products before they commit to a purchase. 

• The ability to see what a piece of clothing looks like on your body is a huge boon when it comes to making the decision to purchase. 

• Brian recalls the marketing campaign that featured JJ Watt as a great example of way to identify customers that connect with your brand.

• Drapr is trying to replicate the experience of trying something on your body, and then standing in front of a mirror. 

The Science Behind Try-On Technology: Replicating Fabric Online:

• Brian asks David about how they handle the ways in which different types of fabrics behave and interact when worn. 

• While the "feel" of fabric cannot yet be captured online, the fit and draping qualities of Mizzen+Main shirts were captured with 3D scanning and cloth simulation.

• The main goal of the process was the capture the realism of the shirts to make renderings as true to life as possible. 

• Sabrina explains that innovation is the fabric of Mizzen+Main's products and brand identity, and the technology behind Drapr is the perfect intersection of values. 

Benchmarks of Success: Quantifying Innovation:

• How do brands determine what is a successful innovation when the metrics of success are constantly evolving along with technology?

• Sabrina reveals that there are KPIs that are being tracked (which are constantly being tweaked) along with invaluable customer surveys.

• Brian geeks out the potential mas