E-commerce giant eBay has acquired PhiSix Fashion Labs for an undisclosed amount, VentureBeat reported.
With the acquisition, eBay will now be able to provide customers with a virtual fitting room. PhiSix Fashion Labs is a computer graphics firm based in the Bay Area. It has come up with a technology that allows online clothes shoppers to see how they would look in a particular garment without the need to physically try them on, the report said.
In its blog post about the acquisition, eBay said that the technology of PhiSix helps shoppers with the most common problems they face when shopping online-that of determining if a garment will fit and how it will look on them. The technology gives size recommendations to customers based on measurement inputs they provide. This allows consumers to virtually try clothes before making their purchase, something eBay believes will lessen merchandise returns and improve the entire online shopping experience. Users can do their shopping wherever and whenever they choose using any device since the technology developed by PhiSix is designed for omni-channel commerce, the blog post said.
eBay Inc Innovation and New Ventures Vice President Steve Yankovich was quoted in the post as saying, "PhiSix's technology enables consumers to understand the fit and movement of clothes in an online shopping environment. Consumers can experience the merchandise in a more efficient and impactful way, which we believe will drive sales for retailers and create a delightful experience for shoppers."
As part of the purchase, PhiSix Founder and CEO Jonathan Su and his team comprised of three members will be hopping on board the e-commerce giant's Innovation and New Ventures team. Su established PhiSix in 2012. He previously worked as a research scientists at Intel and got his PhD in computer science from Stanford University, the blog post said.
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