H&M Group is installing smart mirrors and exploring other tech-enabled shopping experiences in its US stores.

The entire retail experience is changing rapidly with increasing customer expectations for broad choice and convenience. Shoppers expect retail experiences that are smooth, creative and fun while catering to their individual style.

H&M Group is rolling out a pilot in its Cos stores in the USA, where tech-enabled in-store shopping provides visitors with seamless payment options, personalised styling recommendations, faster checkout, and upgraded delivery and return options.

“We are developing and imagining how Cos retail spaces can inspire our customers, both now and for the future,” said Lea Rytz Goldman, Cos managing director. “Our ambition is to pilot new technologies that allow us to meet and exceed our customers’ in-store shopping expectations. With Cos Beverly Hills, we have seen first-hand how our customer experience can be elevated with tech enhancements. As a result, these innovations will be rolled-out in more Cos US stores this year.”

Among the technology in the first pilot store in Beverly Hills, California, are fitting rooms equipped with smart mirrors that recognise products brought into the room in terms of item, size and colour with the possibility to offer personalised product and styling recommendations. On the store floor, other types of smart mirrors can be used for virtual try-on and styling. It is also testing checkout technology and more sustainable delivery and return options.

“Throughout 2022 we will test a new frictionless and personalised shopping experience from the fitting room to checkout,” said Alan Boehme, chief technology officer of the H&M Group. “This initiative is a natural next step in H&M Group’s long history of innovation, where we use technology to discover new ways of enjoying fashion.”