Fits.Me has added a new feature to its virtual fitting room, with a raft of celebrity-inspired voices from Obi-Wan Kenobi to Simon Cowell advising users on the correct clothes size when buying online.
Shoppers already get advisory warnings notifying them of areas of potentially tight or loose fit, or of a sleeve that may be too long or too short, but the new addition add celebrity-inspired audio warnings (and praise).
To avoid shoppers also becoming immune to audio warnings the celebrity-voice opinions will only be played once, at the point when the shopper believes he/she has finalised their choice.
In the set of 10 actor-voiced opinions – which may be set by the retailer, chosen by the shopper or played randomly but appropriately by the software – are:
o Gok Wan, shouting: “You’re looking fabulous, girlfriend!”
o Obi Wan Kenobi, calmly speaking: “This is not the fit you’re looking for.”
o Harry Styles from One Direction, singing: “That’s what makes you beautiful!”
o Will.i.am, exclaiming: “Wowzas, those are really great trousers!”
o Paul Whitehouse, offering: “Ooooh, suits you, sir!”
o Mike Skinner, The Streets, rapping: “I think you are really fit (…you’re fit but my gosh don’t you just know it).”
o Bart Simpson, proclaiming: “Eat my shorts! That outfit’s cool, man.”
o Jeremy Clarkson declaring: “As Sir Francis Bacon once said, ‘there is no beauty which hath not some strangeness about its proportions’.”
o Simon Cowell, stating: “It’s a yes from me!”
Loof Lirpa, Ph.D, from the University of Tartu in Estonia, is head of biorobotics and an adviser to Fits.me. He said: “It’s hard enough to get friends to give you honest feedback when shopping, but now we’re able to give shoppers instant verbal feedback on how an item fits from those at the top of the celeb pile. To have Gok Wan tell you look fabulous, would be, well, fabulous, darling!”
The new celebrity voice feature is set to go live today (April 1st).