Asos have always been one of the leading players in ecommerce fashion and this week has seen them announce the launch of a new app. This will let users snap a photo of a garment or fashion accessory with their device camera or pull in an existing outfit shot or Instagram screengrab (say) from their camera roll. The app will then show clothes items that are at least in the general fashion ballpark of whatever it is they’re trying to find. The app is available for iOS users and will be available for Android shortly.
It is expected that the app will be a huge success, especially as Asos says that 80% of its traffic comes from a mobile device, as do 70% of its orders. It says that consumers spend an average of 80 minutes per month in their app.
“We know this is where our customers are and it’s how they interact with us every day, so we are always looking for ways that are mobile native to make their experience even better,” said Andy Berks, Asos’ digital product director.
“Ever since Asos was founded, we have been driven by using innovation to delight our customers and improve their lives in little ways. But our technology has always been in their service, and never just for its own sake. Our latest tech, Visual Search, is a case in point: inspiration can strike you anywhere and at any time – whether it’s a photo in a magazine, scrolling through an Instagram feed or even on a local street corner. Now, with just a couple of taps of their mobile device, ASOS customers can capture that fleeting moment and instantly search our 85,000 product lines to find the item that’s inspired them – or similar – at just the right time.”
Although there have been some privacy concerns raised about the potential for people taking photographs of complete strangers, the feedback so far for the app has been promising. Interviewed by the Daily Mail about the new app, Tayla Lansdown, an 18-year-old sales assistant from London thinks that the app is a great idea.
“I see women in shoes and jackets I’d love to own all the time but I hardly ever go up to them. It’s easy to get shy in real life, and it feels intrusive asking, so an app like this is a brilliant idea.
“Sometimes people come into the shop and say they saw someone wearing a dress they loved in the street and they want the same one. They only know because they’ve had the guts to ask them – but that’s very rare because it’s intimidating to go up to somebody.”
The new app will only be available in the UK at the moment but will be launched in other countries over the next few months.
