While you’re doing your holiday shopping, consider this – returning things we bought online is expected to cost $550 billion next year.
Clothes and shoes that don’t fit or look the way we hoped account for a big chunk of that number. However, that could soon be a problem of the past.
Levi Strauss CEO Chip Bergh recently said he thinks clothing sizes will be obsolete within 10 years, thanks to laser and body scan technology.
“Sizes will go out the window 10 years from now,” said Bergh at CNBC Evolve . “Everyone can do their own body scan on a camera.”
It’s similar to TSA scanners and machines used in the fitness industry to give more accurate health measurements, but think smaller.
Fashion expert Andrew Burnstine says body scan technology is there to take the guess work out of measurements.
“Now we can use iPads, we can use mobile phones by really just taking them down and around and across our body to create really great three-dimensional measurements,” said Burnstine.
The next step is rolling out laser technology that will create custom sized clothes from uploaded measurements by consumers.
“There’s no middleman,” said Burnstine. “It’s directly to the consumer where they can now get involved in not only body sizing but also in buying and doing all these things that are going to make it a lot easier, more cost effective and make it a lot better for the consumer.”
Some smaller companies like Red Thread are already selling customized fitted clothes to anyone with a smartphone. They're a little pricey though. Nike launched its custom fit shoes earlier this year.
