Incorporating mobile body measuring technology into online marketplace platforms: a qualitative study from fashion SMEs perspective

Accelerated by the pandemic, fashion online marketplace platforms have advanced rapidly in recent years, and some of them have started incorporating virtual fitting technology (e.g. mobile body scanning/measuring technology) into their platforms to enhance the customer experience. Previous research on virtual fitting technology and the use of the online fashion marketplace has mainly focused on customer perspectives. This paper aims to bridge the gap in research related to the vendor perspectives (i.e. fashion small and medium enterprises (SMEs)) with regard to incorporate mobile body measuring technology in online marketplace platforms by interviewing (n = 45) owners and workers of fashion SMEs in Hong Kong and China. Their perceptions and concerns are revealed and further elaborated through qualitative analysis. Our findings suggest that fashion SMEs acknowledge the efficiency of using the online marketplace and the advantages of collecting customer data and feedback as well as drawing insights from which, while they express concerns about competition and the potential for abuse of return and refund policies. In addition, they ascertain that mobile body measuring technology is cost-effective for remote customisation orders. However, technical adoption and accuracy are the major concerns. To incorporate mobile measuring technology into fashion online marketplace platforms, respondents regard the technology can complement existing customer data to address sizing issues. However, they are uncertain about its effectiveness in reducing return rate. It is also suggested that the technology should be capable of capturing customers’ body shape and special body features (e.g. hunchback), and incorporating virtual fitting assistant with clear instructions and guidance can improve customer experience and minimize fitting errors.