Virtual eyewear experience targets optical stores

TopGlasses, created by Chengdu based vision company Topplus, recreates the shopping experience that, until now, has been unique to bricks and mortar stores by creating a virtual mirror for clients.The software, which can be added to e-commerce platforms and smartphone apps, takes real time images of users and places virtual glasses on their facial image. The technology can also follow head movents, meaning users can see how the frames look from any conceivable angle.{{quote-A:R-W:470-I:2-Q:“Compared with acquiring new users, which is a more costly way of driving business, maintaining repeat purchase from old customers is a more stable source for merchants to keep long-term and sustainable cash flow,”-WHO:Mr Wang Yang, COO of Topplus}}Even people with extre myopia who may not see the images clearly in real-time can use a prerecording feature of the software to scan and create a realistic model of the face complete with virtual glasses.The inability to ‘try on’ frames has so far held back the online spectacles market in China, a country that typically enjoys high levels of online retail in other sectors, which led to Topplus searching for a novel solution.“Compared with acquiring new users, which is a more costly way of driving business, maintaining repeat purchase from old customers is a more stable source for merchants to keep long-term and sustainable cash flow,” Topplus COO Mr Wang Yang told technology news website TechNode.However, online Australian retailers wanting to get their hands on the software will have to be patient as for now, the two-year-old startup is focusing on the Chinese market.