There is a new trend emerging in the retail world that’s shaking the industry to its core: customers want superior experiences and not just discounts. Many companies struggle to build their strategies around this sentiment – ASOS recently scrapped A-List instead of rebranding it – condemning themselves to paddling even though a perfectly fine engine is within a hand’s reach.
We at Antavo not only embrace this new idea, but have designed the concept of Recognition Loyalty to offer customers truly unique experiences they cannot find anywhere else. Here are four other fashion tech companies that are major players when it comes to elevating customer experience to the next level.
Syte – Visual Search
Spearheading the visual search market, Syte powers a comprehensive suite of visual AI products for retail ranging from in-store, online and socially integrated solutions. The company aims to improve customer experience by providing interactive, user-facing features such as shoppable Instagram feeds.
All of Syte’s products are powered by their proprietary deep learning algorithm based on over 15 years of research, which has been proven in industry evaluations to be 90% accurate in image-to-image search.
“There are many aspects that affect customer experience that the user never interacts with. For instance, our Deep Tagging solution ensures that detailed attributes for all products have been automatically tagged to allow for accurate textual search, which plays a vital role in user experience.”
- Retailers currently using Syte’s solution include Kohl’s, Marks & Spencer, Myntra, boohoo, Farfetch, and more
- Selected as a Gartner Cool Vendor in Retail AI
- A strategic Microsoft Co-Sell partner
- Exclusive visual search provider within the native camera and gallery of 800 Million Samsung devices
Poq – App Commerce
Being a Software-as-a-Service platform, Poq allows retailers to create highly effective and fully customised native apps in record time. These apps help companies to build stronger brands, sell more products, deepen customer loyalty and deliver highly relevant content, communications and, of course, rewards.
“Mobile apps primarily focus on customer experience and engagement. By utilising the native functionality of apps, we are able to offer unique, personalised and app exclusive experiences that blur the line between online and instore shopping.”
- Retailers using the app are seeing a 15% uplift in revenue
- New code is rolled out weekly
- New releases are delivered quarterly
- Clients include Missguided, Belk, PrettyLittleThing, Fragrance Direct, House of Fraser, Tobi and MADE.com
Fit Analytics – Virtual Fitting
The Fit Analytics machine-learning platform helps the world’s best apparel companies to solve sizing issues, sell their products smarter, and turn data into actionable insight. In addition to providing customers with a unique shopping experience, they also help brands and retailers increase conversions and reduce return rates.
The company’s Fit Finder size advisor gives shoppers who are uncertain about a clothing item’s fit an easy and accurate way of getting a personalized recommendation that has proven to significantly outperform traditional charts.
“Sizing is the core customer experience challenge when it comes to shopping for clothes online – particularly on mobile. Our Fit Finder helps apparel companies tackle that problem directly by delivering a first-class sizing experience that performs perfectly on all devices. The result is happier shoppers and a better bottom line.”
- ASOS, Calvin Klein, The North Face, and JD Sports have all partnered with Fit Analytics
- Supplies over 250 million sizing recommendations worldwide per month
- Fully localized in over 20 languages
- Has a coverage of over 10 million apparel items across more than 17,000 brands
Awear – Smart Tag Technology
Awear Solutions was the first company to introduce smart tag technology to the greater public. They teamed up with Tommy Hilfiger to launch TOMMY JEANS XPLORE, the first-to-market smart clothing collection and iPhone app that rewards customers for wearing the product. Doing so unlocks brand-specific bonuses, such as VIP experiences, perks and promotions.
Awear is a leader in customer engagement, helping fashion companies connect with customers on a whole new level, and motivating people to become brand ambassadors. On top of that, the technology provides real-time market intelligence on a product’s true-life cycle and behavioral pattern long after it leaves the store. These learnings enable personalized marketing and advertising based on how, where, and when the product is actually being used.
- 94% of app downloads sign up with Gmail or FB
- 58% product activation rate
- 4.7% monthly conversion rate
- Real-time insights regarding consumer profiles and habits
Antavo – Customer Loyalty
The leading customer loyalty technology for fashion and retail, Antavo, provides a SaaS platform and strategy to create customer retention programs that change customer behavior. What makes our solution stand out from the competition is Recognition Loyalty™, a new concept in customer retention that adds a new dimension to brand engagement.
Our loyalty programs help companies strengthen bonds with customers, engage people outside the buying cycle, and build loyalty through shared values, exclusivity and advocacy.
“Traditional loyalty schemes simply don’t cut it anymore. In order to build a meaningful relationship with the customer, brands and retailers in fashion must go beyond transactions. There are so many opportunities to engage with them, such as rewarding them for bringing back old clothes, going for a walk, referring a friend, or joining a special interest club”
- Our clients include: LuisaViaRoma, Jimmy Jazz, Represent, Simply Be, and Stylebop.com
- Clients have seen a 48% increase in AOV
- 52% growth in customer retention
- 19 million active members are using our solutions
Turning the Experience Up to Eleven
The best way to make the public appreciate technological innovation is to make it rewarding for the user. The reason why I’ve chosen to highlight these five fashion tech companies is that their solutions mutually complement one another, and the cherry on top is that Antavo’s loyalty platform is capable of managing all these solutions in a unified system.
Naturally, implementing fashion-tech solution is just one way to enhance the shopping experience. If you are curious about how you can engage with customers – especially outside the buying cycle – contact us today.
Zsuzsa is the Chief Strategy Officer and Co-founder of Antavo. She has experienced Antavo grow from a startup into a market-leading, global scaleup for loyalty program technology, serving global brands and retailers. She was named Personality of the Year at the 2024 International Loyalty Awards, and listed by Forbes as one of Europe’s top 100 female founders in tech, Zsuzsa is a former journalist recognized by the European Commission.
