Makip was founded with the vision of using IT to make the impossible possible
Japanese sizing technology specialist Makip offers accurate sizing tech that not only cuts carbon emissions but also enhances the shopping experience, aligning with the industry’s shift towards eco-conscious practices. In an Interview with Fibre2Fashion, President and CEO Shingo Tsukamoto discusses the benefits of the company’s online sizing technology - Unisize.
How do you see online sizing technology evolving in the next five years?
I believe the service will be completely different from what it is now. With the advancement of AI, it might become possible to check online, and even in videos, how the clothes you are about to buy would look in the environment you imagine wearing them. For example, the lighting conditions are completely different when wearing clothes for a date at a restaurant versus wearing them to a park. You could check how they look in the dark, how they look in the light, and so on.
Additionally, you would be able to see how the clothes match with what you already own, and of course, see it all with your own face.
What, in your view, are the main obstacles US fashion retailers face in adopting sizing technology, and how can they overcome these?
I believe the challenge lies in whether we have information about the length of the clothes. In the West, there tends to be an attitude of “if it does not fit, just return it,” which leads to a tendency of not providing sufficient information to users. Length information is one such example. Without it, even if we can estimate the user’s body type, we cannot convey how far the length of the garment will come. We are informing retailers about the importance of length information and asking them to prepare it. When making clothes, length information is definitely necessary, so it must exist somewhere within the company!
What role do technological advancements, such as online sizing technology and virtual try-on experiences, play in addressing sustainability challenges within the fashion industry?
Reducing returns can also reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Although returns have become commonplace in the West, we want to change this concept from the ground up.
What emerging trends or technologies do you believe will have the greatest impact on advancing sustainability practices in the fashion retail sector?
I believe the most impactful way is to wear and love the clothes you like over and over again. Instead of buying clothes according to trends and discarding them, the answer lies in purchasing clothes you truly love and using them until you cannot wear them anymore. Therefore, we want to help consumers find ‘clothes they truly love’.
What was the vision behind founding Makip, and how has it evolved since its inception?
Makip was founded with the vision of using information technology (IT) to make the impossible possible. There are so many things that can be achieved with IT, and we wanted to embody that potential, which is why we started the company.
Unisize was a service that launched the ‘online fitting’ category, which did not exist in the market at the time. We had to gradually expand by helping people understand its necessity and usefulness. Unlike the so-called unicorn companies, we have truly grown step by step.
Could you tell us about the moment you realised there was a significant gap in the market for online sizing technology like Unisize?
There was a time when apparel e-commerce in Japan took off and succeeded. However, during that period, I wondered, “How can we accurately check the size, which is the most important aspect of fashion?”
I began to seriously consider whether there was a simpler and more accurate way to confirm sizes. That is when I remembered my grandparents’ kimono shop. They used to sell kimonos, but they needed to adjust the length before delivering them to customers. I recalled my grandparents working late into the night, adjusting the length based on height after we had dinner and taken a bath. This memory led me to the idea that by collecting a lot of data, we could more accurately estimate users’ body shapes.
How does Unisize differentiate itself from other sizing technologies currently available on the market?
With Unisize, you can check not only whether the clothes fit but also details similar to a fitting room in a physical store, such as where the sleeve length reaches or whether a dress will cover your knees. This is the biggest difference.
Since the launch, what impact has Unisize had on your partner retailers’ return rates and overall customer satisfaction?
We have been able to improve the return rate by an average of 20 per cent. Customer satisfaction is also rated very highly. Even if sizes are given in numbers, it is hard to understand the actual length without a measuring tape at hand. Unisize visualises these measurements, allowing users to imagine how the clothes will look when worn.
What feedback have you received from consumers who have used Unisize to purchase clothing?
We receive various feedback from our customers. Generally, they are satisfied, but we also get suggestions like ‘Can you do it this way?’ or ‘Can you make a service like this?’ From such feedback, we created services like ‘Unisize for Kids’ and ‘Unisize for Bags’. Customers requested the ability to choose clothes that their children can wear even 1-2 years later because children grow very quickly. Additionally, for bags, they wanted to know what can fit inside and how it would look when carried. These services were realised based on customer feedback.
More recently, we received feedback from one of our UK customers, KOMODO, asking if it would be possible for men to try on dresses, and we plan to make this happen.
With the expansion into the US and planned further entry into European markets, what strategies are you employing to adapt Unisize to different consumer behaviours and body types?
Regarding body types, we have collected over 100 samples in the UK and created algorithms based on different ethnicities. We hope to explore the potential for further improvements by analysing the reduction in return rates and improvements in conversion rates (CVR).
I feel a strong sense of urgency about consumer behaviour. In Europe, it is required to accept returns of clothing purchased online at no cost to the consumer to protect them. However, I feel that consumers are taking advantage of this situation.
They purchase sizes S, M, and L for a single item of clothing, keep the one they like the most, and return the rest. While this might be beneficial for the consumer, transporting each item consumes a significant amount of energy. I believe this model is not suited to the current times. If customers could use Unisize in advance to confirm the optimal size, they would not need to buy three and return two. I have heard that returned clothes often miss the selling opportunity or get soiled and cannot be resold. In such cases, they must be discarded. I am seriously considering how we can change the consumption behaviour that revolves solely around human convenience.
What have been some unexpected benefits of implementing Unisize for retailers and consumers alike?
We are often pleased to hear that the cost of customer service centres has decreased. Users no longer need to ask size-related questions like ‘What is the best size for my body?’, which means companies no longer need to answer these questions either. I was very surprised when I visited a store of a famous apparel company in Europe and saw a long line of people waiting to return items. Companies do not want to spend money on this, so one staff member was handling it alone. It did not seem like a pleasant job for the staff either; they were reluctantly dealing with it, it took time, and it looked like the worst customer experience to me. I am very proud that we were able to create a service that has the potential to save staff from having to deal with this.
Could you tell us more about Unisize DX and how it aims to assist retailers in understanding consumer behaviour?
Unisize DX is a user analysis service. It allows us to understand the body types of consumers and how many of them are visiting. Some clients use this data to determine inventory levels.
Are there any new features or enhancements in the pipeline for Unisize that you can share with us?
At the end of May 2024, we will be releasing an AI service called FaceChange. It has already been released in Japan and allows users to replace the model’s face with their own. In a store fitting room, customers check not only the size but also how well the clothes suit them, right? We wanted to make this possible online, which is why we launched this service.
Looking ahead, what are the long-term goals for Makip, and how do you plan to sustain the momentum gained over the past few years?
As I mentioned at the beginning, Makip is a company established with the aim of making the impossible possible through IT. We plan to continue expanding into areas beyond size, like with our FaceChange service, to solve the challenges faced by modern-day consumers and retailers.
