Youzon - The fitting room of the future

The fitting room, once intended as the strong point of bricks-and-mortar retail outlets, has now become a real hindrance to sales. Over 40 per cent of consumers who show their clear interest in buying by visiting the fashion stores of Germany are leaving them again without making a purchase simply because they found the fitting room unappealing. This was revealed by a representative survey conducted on Ansorg’s behalf by the market research institute Innofact. The survey also found that, when buying clothes, three quarters of all Germans are unwilling to do without a fitting room. At the same time, some 72 per cent of consumers complained about the poor state of cubicles. Against the background of the massive and increasing pressure from online trading, this is an extremely worrying state of affairs. The current situation seems utterly incomprehensible, given that the survey clearly showed that the higher the price of clothing, the more bricks-and-mortar shops are favoured. This applies from a price of 50 euros upwards, and from an article price of 200 euros up, more than 75 per cent of shoppers prefer to engage all of their senses by shopping at a store.

From privacy screen to personal experience
“Changing facilities are the unique selling proposition that distinguish bricks-and-mortar shops from online traders,” says Mario Dreismann, CEO of lighting specialist Ansorg. “We see them as offering a fantastic opportunity to pamper the customer by providing a space for personal experience.” If the concept succeeded in turning just the 40 per cent of visitors mentioned above into loyal customers, that would result in a tremendous increase in turnover. In order to activate this potential for strengthening in-store sales, retail lighting specialist Ansorg used the survey to investigate in detail which factors make the fitting room a sales killer. “85 per cent of the population stated that good lighting was important in a cubicle. At the same time, over 72 per cent of the general population found poor light annoying, and the figure for women was even almost as much as 80 per cent,” Dreismann continues. This puts lighting well ahead of other factors, such as lack of mirrors (66.4 per cent), insufficient seating (63.5 per cent) and too little room to move (62.6 per cent). The clear results of the survey confirm Ansorg in its development of a concept for Youzon. The concept cubicles flatter the customer and make for a direct boost in instore sales to compete favourably with the tempting convenience of online shopping, as Niklas Reiners, one of Ansorg’s light planners, firmly believes.

Large stage, intimate atmosphere
Youzon is nothing less than a complete makeover of the changing room according to the wishes and needs of the customer. The aim here was to create a calm, peaceful area in which the visitor perceives the experience as a reward. “In the Youzon, the focus of attention is solely on the customers and their desired clothing. This sends a clear message,” stresses developer Reiners. To achieve this effect, a low-key, but inviting, look is required that will help the customer to concentrate to the maximum on the purchase decision in hand. With six freely combinable basic elements, Ansorg raises customers onto their own personal stage. All of the lighting used in Youzon features seamlessly adjustable white light and excellent colour rendition.

Soft light streams from behind the main mirror, highlighting fit and material characteristics at close range. Uniform, indirect lighting delivered via reflectors lends flat structures clear contours, but without glare. The ceiling luminaire, “Lightshower”, lends the fitting room a soft, flattering light and uncompromisingly clear ambient lighting. Back lighting of the upper body emphasises the customer's contours and makes hair gleam. A light aura opposite to the main mirror ensures that visitors see a radiant reflection of themselves. At the lower edge of the rear wall, a cavetto, emulating the background sweep used by professional photographers, imparts a sense of spaciousness. All of these features combine to produce a large, shadow-free room that’s flooded with mellow light.

In addition, individual lighting scenarios for business, sport, casual and evening garments can all be selected via touch screen to meet any occasion for which clothing is being chosen. According to the survey, it is digital features such as this that appeal particularly to the spend-happy, fashion-conscious target group of 30 to 39-year-olds. By making the most of digital opportunities, Ansorg is constantly optimising customers’ shopping experience in fashion stores, while at the same time taking into account growing demands for digitisation with a view to assuring store owners high turnover in the future.