Gap has acquired Drapr, a virtual apparel try-on application designed to help shoppers find the best clothing size and fit for their personal style and body type. The deal was brokered by Gap’s Strategic Growth Office, a unit that seeks out investments that fuel growth and accelerate new capabilities across Gap’s brands.
Gap reported net sales of $4.2 billion in Q2 2021, the highest second-quarter sales in over a decade, up 29% year-over-year and 5% compared to 2019 pre-COVID levels. Online sales in particular grew 65% over 2019 levels and represented 33% of the total business, offsetting an 11% brick-and-mortar decline compared to its pre-COVID performance. This points to the growing importance of ecommerce operations, and the Drapr acquisition will help Gap’s digital offerings stand out from the competition.
“Fit is the number one point of friction for customers and, through their advanced 3D technology, Drapr has shown it can help shoppers efficiently find the size and fit they need,” said Sally Gilligan, Chief Growth Transformation Officer at Gap in a statement. “We plan to leverage Drapr to help Gap improve the fit experience for our customers and accelerate our ongoing digital transformation.”
Other retailers have implemented size-fitting options with good results. Ecommerce retailer Otero Menswear managed to reduce it return rate to 3% with the help of virtual fitting room technology provided by Perfitly. Approximately half of the remaining returns are exchanges rather than true returns, and Otero has been able to reduce its carbon footprint due to fewer customers engaging in bracketing (purchasing garments in multiple sizes and returning the ones that don’t fit).
Advertisement
The acquisition also will tie into Old Navy’s recent launch of BODEQUALITY, a fully inclusive shopping experience that eliminates separate plus size sections both in-store and online, placing those items in the same areas as the rest of the store’s merchandise. Old Navy has been emphasizing helping shoppers find the perfect fit without any hassle, no matter where they choose to shop.
“After landing inclusive fit in product, we then turned our attention to the opportunity in experience in our stores and online,” said Nancy Green, President and CEO of Old Navy in a statement. “By co-creating with our customers, we experimented and tested an innovative shopping experience that fully integrated all sizes into all styles with price parity, and tested it across a pilot group of stores with strong customer feedback. With this launch, all sizes will be fully integrated in the women’s section, and our associates have been trained on how best to engage with customers with empathy to create a welcoming environment.”
