How to Use Sizing Technology and Fashion Metadata to Improve the User Experience for Online Fashion Retail

This chapter aims to open a dialogue on the importance and influence of sizing technology and fashion metadata on fashion e-commerce, especially the use of body metadata and garment metadata. It describes the e-Size project, its objectives, its contribution to specific innovation areas, the methodological approach adopted, as well as presenting the results of an exploratory survey administered to a convenience sample of customers in the attempt to assess the potential validity of the use of sizing software applications amongst fashion retailers. The chapter consists of six sections. The first section outlines the opportunities and challenges for online fashion retailers, the second and third sections analyze fashion metadata (What & How) and Size Technologies for Online Fashion Retail, the fourth section describes the methodology adopted. While the fifth section highlights the preliminary findings of the research, the final section illustrates the conclusion, their limitations and directions for further research.