Arvind Fashions Limited, the retail arm of Indian textile manufacturer, Arvind Limited, announced a partnership to deploy tech startup Nucleus Vision’s proprietary sensor technology at the retailer’s licensed Gap, Unlimited and U.S. Polo. Assn. stores. Nucleus is a provider of Internet of Things and blockchain technology.
To integrate the technology and upgrade its customer analytics capabilities, the initiative will begin as a pilot project that, if successful, should give shoppers at Arvind Fashion’s stores a better, more personalized experience.
Arvind Fashion cited a study conducted by consultants at Forrester-Epsilon showing how personalization has already begun to play an outsize role in luring in Indian shoppers. Their figures show that 63 percent of the Indian retail market, which today totals $800 billion in value, prefer personalized experiences when shopping.
Although it is not yet clear what exactly Nucleus Vision’s sensor technology can bring to the Arvind Fashions shopping experience, the retailer makes note that new approaches are needed to capture share of wallet in an Indian retail market poised to grow to $1.1 trillion in value by 2020.
“We see tremendous interest from the customers for a more evolved and personalized shopping experience,” Rukaiya Rangwala, COO of the Digital Centre of Excellence at Arvind Fashions Limited, said in a statement. “Nucleus Vision’s revolutionary technology will give us valuable insights into our customer behavior, which will help us improve customer satisfaction and increase revisits.”
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Stateside, that rationale is becoming widely accepted, as well. Brands like Proper Cloth, founded by an MIT graduate, are already using digital technology to offer a kind of virtual tailor to collect consumer’s measurements and personal preferences. Then, it feeds that data into a sizing algorithm to produce the best possible recommendations for both size and style.
If Nucleus Vision’s technology can provide a experience similar to those digitally-savvy brands, Arvind Fashions should have a leg up in the marketplace as India’s retail industry continues to grow.
“We look forward to expanding the scope of our relationship with Arvind Fashions Limited,” Abhishek Pitti, founder & CEO of Nucleus Vision, said. “This is a big step towards our goal to associate with the leading players in the Indian retail market to help them create better shopper experiences.”
In related news, Arvind Limited, the denim and textile manufacturer of which Arvind Fashions Limited is a subsidiary, recently joined Fashion for Good to promote sustainable fashion practices within the industry.