ARMONK, N.Y. and TAMPA, Fla., May 18,
2016 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced
that online fashion portal abof.com is working with IBM to
provide an enhanced personalized shopping experience tailored to
millennial shoppers. IBM solutions offer abof.com a scalable
platform, seamless order fulfillment options and innovative
customer engagement features.
According to a recent study by ASSOCHAM and PwC, almost 55 million consumers made online
purchases in 2015 and the number is expected to grow to 80 million
this year.* abof.com, a part of Aditya Birla Group, is an online
one-stop fashion portal for apparel, footwear and accessories for
men and women. The retailer targets millennials, with an aim to
offer the latest style tips, fashion content and trends. The
company needed a well-integrated e-commerce solution that would
help it create a dynamic and interactive online platform that could
better target consumers and increase brand loyalty. IBM delivered
abof.com customer engagement and order fulfillment capabilities
that allow it to constantly refresh the e-commerce experience and
seamlessly add new content catering to the dynamic demands of
millennials.
For instance, to enrich the shopping experience, abof.com has
added a 3D virtual trial room to the store front. Powered by IBM
and integrated technology from business partner Metail, the feature
enables customers to input their body measurement and virtually try
any apparel before placing an order. The average return rate in the
apparel industry is 20 percent with the most common reason being
unsatisfactory fit. Since launching the virtual trial room,
abof.com has reduced the product return rate to nearly zero. In
addition, the conversion rates for products available with 3D trial
is 400 percent higher than the industry norm.
Another set of interactive capabilities that differentiate
abof.com is the superior search and curated fashion content it
offers to shoppers. For instance, a shopper looking for a
particular shirt can upload an image using visual search and
seamlessly be led to a similar looking item. In addition, a shopper
looking for a fashion trend inspired by a celebrity will be
seamlessly led to their desired products with an intuitive search.
By leveraging IBM's content management solution, abof.com is able
to offer fresh, targeted and relevant fashion content to its
customers. The fashion portal now reaches out to over 7,000 pin
codes and across more than 500 cities in India.
"In order to tap and increase the market share in a highly
competitive industry, it is imperative to differentiate ourselves
from already established players. We aim to grow our market share
by offering a curated range of merchandise that goes beyond
conventional boundaries to deliver quality service to our
customers," said Prashant Gupta,
President & CEO, abof.com. "IBM
helped us to set up our online business in a record time of five
months. With IBM's global expertise and local experience in
eCommerce space, we are optimistic that the company will emerge as
the most admired player in online fashion segment."
Once a customer has made a
purchase, abof.com is leveraging IBM's Order Management and Supply
Chain solution to provide customers with an accurate view of
order status and real time inventory. This capability has helped
streamline warehouse processes for an on time and convenient
delivery.
"Many online retailers struggle to engage millennials in
meaningful, thoughtful ways, all based on their behavior and
preferences," said Harriet Green,
General Manager, Watson IoT, Commerce and Education, IBM. "Through
this collaboration with IBM, abof.com will create truly unique
buying moments and ensure prompt delivery of each item, exactly the
type of experience that builds brand loyalty."
About IBM Commerce for Practitioners
IBM helps
clients IBM helps practitioners -- marketers, merchandiser and
e-commerce professionals -- understand customer behavior and use
insights to help deliver highly personalized and relevant
experiences at every touch point. For more information, please
click here and follow on Twitter at #ibmamplify.
1. * Assocham PwC study released in March
2016: http://www.assocham.org/newsdetail.php?id=5581
2. **ASSOCHAM report
For More Information
Gayatri
Doda
IBM Media Relations
+91 9632289966
Doug Fraim
IBM Media Relations
617-501-6376
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SOURCE IBM