Swipe for a bargain: Zara installs iPads in its changing rooms

Online shopping may have meant that this year’s much-coveted Black Friday event was something of a damp and deserted squib (with the more sofa-friendly Cyber Monday attracting the bulk of the spends), but sometimes the point-click-ship shopping model can prove more inconvenient than it should…

If the interminably wide ‘windows’ of delivery (between 12pm and 8pm? Right, got it, thanks) don’t drive you mad, then the very real prospect of delivery error might, or the fact that once you’ve got your purchase in your hands you quickly realise it doesn’t look quite like it did on the screen.

With clothing there is the added danger that the fit is, well, not how you imagined it. Nope, for some, shopping remains a very tangible experience – even something to be enjoyed – involving schlepping to the mall or the high street to get in amongst it.

But the coming together of technology and shopping does not have to end online. Spanish fashion giants Zara have hit upon a novel idea designed to offer that hands-on experience while simultaneously delivering the choice and browsing comfort so often found online.

In Spain, Zara is to install iPads into the changing rooms of many of its stores, enabling half-dressed punters the chance to continue browsing while changing, and even requesting staff members to bring additional items to their booth.

The scheme works by compelling shoppers to scan the tags of their chosen items on to the iPad as soon as they enter the changing room. Then, the app built into the iPad can log what the shopper has chosen and show what other sizes, colours etc are available.

Should the shopper’s chosen size not fit, they simply request the size that they believe will fit, and before you know it a helpful shop assistant is on hand with the differently sized garment.

The initiative will be shopfloor tested at one of its largest Spanish stores, according to local media reports, thus bringing a tried-and-tested system – something that staff have been using behind closed doors for a while – directly to the customer.

Another innovation in the offing is the introduction of self-service tills at the Zara store in Marineda, up in the north of Spain in Galicia. Should the system also prove a success then it is believed that it will be rolled out nationwide.

These innovations are part of a wider tech overhaul of all of the brands that operate under the Inditex umbrella, which include Pull & Bear and Bershka, which have both recently introduced touchscreens in their stores to allow customers to check on the stock availability of certain items.

Forever putting the needs of the customer first has long been a mantra of Inditex owner and founder Amancio Ortega, who was briefly named the world’s richest man earlier this year.

With such foresight, innovation and passion for delivering sustained and excellent service and cutting edge fashion, it is easy to see why Ortega has become so incredibly wealthy…