Men's Wearhouse, Jos. A. Bank expand contactless fit tech to 650 locations

Dive Brief:

Amid a digital push, Tailored Brands is expanding its partnership with Bold Metrics by integrating its artificial intelligence fitting technology into more than 650 Men's Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank stores, according to a press release emailed to Retail Dive.
The Contactless Fit tool asks customers to answer survey questions and creates a 3D avatar of their bodies. The tool, which does not need measuring tape, scanners or photos, can produce more than 50 body measurements.
The AI fitting technology has had a size prediction accuracy rate of over 92% since it was deployed nearly a year ago, per the announcement. The integration of the technology has resulted in a 27.4% reduction in exchange rates for online tuxedo orders at Men's Wearhouse.

Dive Insight:

The further integration of Bold Metrics' fit technology is taking place amid a transitional period at Tailored Brands.

In December, the company emerged from bankruptcy, cleared $686 million in debt and announced a plan to execute a turnaround of its business. In March, CEO and president Dinesh Lathi exited the company, and board members Bob Hull and Peter Sachse stepped in temporarily to serve as co-CEOs. But as the company seeks to turn itself around, it also faces uncertainty surrounding America's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tailored Brands isn't the only company eyeing virtual fitting technology to minimize the guesswork in shopping. Back in March, Snap acquired sizing technology startup Fit Analytics, a move that would allow the social media app to offer more to brands and retailers. As it aims to improve its apparel category, Walmart acquired Zeekit, a virtual try-on startup that lets users upload photos of themselves or choose models whose bodies are similar to their own.

"At Men's Wearhouse, we understand that digital innovation is essential to growing the business, and this partnership is part of how we're putting our customers' experience first," Chaitanya Pallapothula, senior vice president of omnichannel technology at Tailored Brands, said in a statement.