We are performing research – on reducing return rates by determining garment sizes

Our unique database gives us the ability to create an individual avatar with just a few entries and to make size recommendations for apparel. We at Avalution contribute this know-how to the ECOmmerce joint research project which we are carrying out together with Assyst GmbH and the DITF Denkendorf.

People who shop online often order several sizes or color variations to choose from. These guaranteed returns burden the environment – transport to the customer and back to the goods reception department, the recycling and cleaning of the returns and, in the worst case scenario, their destruction. ECOmmerce is aimed at creating awareness for this environmental issue. The Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (German Federal Foundation for the Environment) funded the research project with around €445,000.

The goal is to start at the beginning of the ordering process and to develop a solution (based on the Avalytics database) that will enable customers to dispense with ordering different sizes for trying on, because they will receive a size recommendation for their chosen product with just a few clicks – 100% digitally, without the customer having to take measurements himself. The reduction of these guaranteed returns alone can considerably reduce the load on the environment. At the same time, a sustainability assessment will also be developed, through which the customer will receive information on the ecological effects of his/her order before submitting it.

The project has a term of 2 years and is scheduled to end on July 15, 2020.

Find out more about the project HERE