The end of fitting room queues? Smart mirrors lets you virtually try on clothes and order drinks
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Hunting for clothes in a busy shop can be a nightmare, but shopping online can be a bit hit-and-miss.
This has led to a number of company's coming up with a compromise - interactive mirrors in shops that let you virtually try on different outfits, explore colours and patterns, and even order food.
The latest to be rolled out in the US is the MemoryMirror that uses augmented reality to show how clothes will fit, and lets shoppers change outfits with the swipe of a hand.
Other mirrors include eBay's interactive shopping assistant that finds different sizes and accessories, and Panasonic's 'flaws and all' mirror that helps people buy products to improve how they look.
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Red or green? MemoryMirror, or MemoMi (pictured) creates avatars of the shopper wearing various clothing. These clothes can be shared with friends, to ask for feedback, or viewed instantly to help make an in-store purchase. Using hand gestures, shoppers can also scroll through different colours, patterns and sizes
MemoryMirror, or MemoMi, was founded by California-based Salvador Nissi Vilcovsky.
MemoMi uses Intel integrated graphics technology to create avatars of the shopper wearing various clothing.
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These clothes can be shared with friends on social media or via email, to ask for feedback, or viewed instantly to help make an in-store purchase.
Using hand gestures, shoppers can scroll through different colours, patterns and sizes, and the smart mirror remembers previous outfit choices, so the shopper can compare and contrast.
It also lets people add accessories, and see outfits from different angles without straining their neck or using a wall of mirrors.
Initially unveiled last year, the technology is now being introduced into Neiman Marcus stores in San Francisco, and later,Texas.
MemoMi works in a similar way to an interactive mirror announced last year from eBay.
The online retailer teamed up with Rebecca Minkoff to transform her shop in Soho into a high-tech shopping hub, with shops in San Francisco and Los Angeles to follow shortly.
The smart mirror remembers previous outfit choices, so the shopper can compare and contrast. It also lets people add accessories, and see outfits from different angles without straining their neck or using a wall of mirrors. Unveiled last year, the tech is now being introduced into Neiman Marcus stores in San Francisco
MemoMi works in a similar way to an interactive mirror announced last year from eBay (pictured). eBay fitted futuristic 'magic mirrors' in Rebecca Minkoff's New York shop that act like a personal stylist and suggest matching accessories to go with an item of clothing that a shopper has in the room with them
The system features 'connected walls', which are mirrored displays showing video content designed to inspire shoppers.
Users swipe through looks and touch the screen to ask store staff to fill dressing rooms with the clothes they like - and even order drinks.
An interactive fitting room mirror then acts as a personal stylist and suggests matching accessories to go with an item of clothing that a shopper has in the room with them.
Shoppers can also tap the eBay mirror (pictured) to change the lighting. The rooms use radio frequency identification (RFID) to recognise items of clothing in the room and offer alternative sizes and colours
Shoppers can also tap the mirror to change the lighting.
The rooms use radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to recognise all the items of clothing in the room and offer alternative sizes and colours that are available to buy.
Shoppers can mull over options by taking their selection with them in the form of images stored in a dedicated app.
It additionally allows consumers to build personal profiles of their favourite items, which can be purchased later online.
Using this technology, the shop can even recognise individual customers, allowing staff to make personal recommendations, and track what people have brought.
The shop features 'connected walls' (pictured) which are mirrored displays showing video content designed to inspire shoppers. Consumers swipe through looks and touch the screen to ask store staff to fill dressing rooms with the clothes they like, and even order drinks
Last week, Panasonic unveiled a similar mirror - although it's not quite as flattering. The Japanese firm's mirror analyses a person's face using built-in high-definition cameras, and points out every flaw. The mirror also lets people try on different makeup - and even facial hair (pictured)
Other shops have, in the past, experimented with technology in fitting rooms that have been used for everything from scanning a person's body to find clothes that fit, to allowing users to have their chosen items delivered to their home so they don't have to carry them.
There is also a new generation of smartphone apps that put colour-matching and 'digital stylist' options in users' hands no matter which shop they are in.
The Snap ColourPop iPhone app, for example, lets users search for clothes and shoes in exactly the same colour as any object or inspirational landscape of their choice.
SNAP COLOURPOP APP FINDS CLOTHES AND SHOES IN THE EXACT COLOUR OF ANYTHING YOU PHOTOGRAPH
While stores might be getting smarter, there is already a free app that lets shopper find matching clothes at different price points and in precise shades.
The Snap ColourPop iPhone app lets users search for clothes and shoes in exactly the same colour as any object or inspirational landscape of their choice.
Users of the app take a photograph of their chosen object using their smartphone camera and the app searches for clothes and accessories from 150 UK fashion retailers such as Net-a-Porter, Miss Selfridge and M&S, to find fashion items in exactly the same shade.
The Snap ColourPop iPhone app lets users search for clothes and shoes in exactly the same colour as any object or inspirational landscape of their choice. On the left, a user photographs a sweet and on the right, the app suggests a dress in the same colour that a shopper can buy instantly from one of 150 stores
It does this using a specially developed algorithm that combs through over 120,000 products in seconds to find an exact, or close, colour match.
The app claims to match shades of colours as closely as possible to the original photo, which means it could prove a quick solution for people wanting to find perfectly matching shoes to go with the rest of their outfit, without being restricted to a single shop.
When the items found by the app are displayed, they can be filtered by clothing types, such as dresses or shirts, and can either be purchased immediately or saved for later in a 'wishlist' which can inform shoppers if the price of the item drops.
The app is the first commercial product to use visual search technology to help people shop and Jenny Griffiths, a 27-year-old computer scientist, believes it will change the way people buy clothes in the future.
Users of the app take a photograph of their chosen object using their smartphone camera and the app searches for clothes and accessories from 150 UK fashion retailers such as Net-a-Porter, Miss Selfridge and M&S, to find fashion items in exactly the same shade.
Last week, Panasonic unveiled a similar mirror to that of eBay and MemoryMirror - although it's not quite as flattering.
The Japanese firm's mirror analyses a person's face using built-in high-definition cameras, and points out every flaw.
There are a range of different styles people using Panasonic's mirror can experiment with, including eyebrow shape, eyeshadow, cheek colour and lipstick. After pointing a person's flaw, the mirror tells the customer the best way to improve their look, appear younger, what to wear to look thinner, and more
It then tells the customer the best way to improve their look, appear younger, what to wear to look thinner, and more.
'This is not a gimmick, it's a serious technology solution,' said Julie Bauer, president of Panasonic's consumer electronics for North America, as she revealed the mirror at the CES show in Las Vegas.
'After analysing your skin condition and pointing out fine lines, age spots and other issues it recommends cosmetics and treatments,' she said.
'It also lets you virtually try on different makeups for different looks.'
Panasonic specifically said the mirror is being placed in department stores to sell products to consumers
On another booth during last week's CES, Ecovacs Robotics was showing off its Benebot shopping assistant robot. The cute-looking machine (pictured) uses a display to show relevant videos, and a laser that points customers in the right direction. It can also answer shopping questions and advise people on purchased
There are a range of different styles that users can experiment with, including eyebrow shape, eyeshadow, cheek colour and lipstick, as well as false eyelashes.
The demonstration of the technology at Panasonic's booth at the show also had one added feature - allowing people to 'try on' facial hair.
Panasonic specifically said the mirror is being placed in department stores to sell products to consumers, and isn't working on a household version.
On another booth during last week's CES, Ecovacs Robotics was showing off its Benebot shopping assistant robot.
The cute-looking machine uses a display to show relevant videos, and a laser that points customers in the right direction.
It can also answer shopping questions and advise people on purchased.
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