Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
have also placed horizontal navigation of both images and text as a supple-
ment to flips and a means of simulating movement.
Finally, the ultimate in enhancing the sense of touch through movement
is by providing a highly personal and intimate experience through enabling
the website visitor to “live” the virtual life on the website. This may be done
through a customized personal avatar (see Figures 4.11 and 4.12). I'm sure
you pretty much get the avatar concept but an avatar does more than aid in
the visualization of products against the human form. It also enables an indi-
vidual to craft their personal features on a human-like form in order to view
products as they would appear exactly on them in real life. One such applica-
tion that enables this has been developed by the Montréal-based company My
Virtual Model
™
. This application, also known as MVP, has been developed
as a 3-D visual merchandizing tool particularly for fashion and accessories
online retail and may be integrated within an already existing luxury brand's
website. It comprises a virtual catalogue of human features such as height,
weight, body shape, skin tone, hair and eye color, facial features and so on,
which each individual chooses so as to recreate themselves in a virtual mode.
This recreated self allows them to try on products such as clothes, bags, shoes
and jewelry during a single online shopping trip or during subsequent visits.
Since this avatar can be saved and returned to on the same website, it also
provides an edge for online communications through virtual communities as
it enables its users to explore other people's styles, make suggestions and rec-
ommendations, rate different looks and also publish their model on blogs and
social networks. Of course, it is up to the luxury brand to enable this addi-
tional feature. There is more on My Virtual Model
™
in Chapter 8.
Avatars may also be used in a simplified format that doesn't require the
replica of each individual in a virtual format. In this case, the website may
integrate avatars in several standard formats and each individual may choose
the avatar that most corresponds to their form. American fashion accessories
brand, Coach, was one of the first to include standard avatars on its website
as far back as 2002, although these avatars have no human features apart
Figure 4.11
American
fashion accessories
brand Coach was one
of the first brands to
feature an avatar on its
website as a tool for
product merchandizing.
The avatar uses three
standard sizes and two
product view choices
to enable shoppers
to visualize products
against the human form
