ARMONK, NY, CHICAGO, IL and MONTREAL -- 09/17/08 --
Sears (NASDAQ: SHLD),
IBM (NYSE: IBM) and My Virtual Model, Inc. today unveiled a
first-of-its-kind 3D visual search and e-commerce capability for
Sears.com that will
significantly improve and enhance a consumer's online shopping experience.
Sears is the first retailer to apply both a visual search and virtual model
to an entire catalogue online.
The updated Sears site, powered by IBM WebSphere
Commerce and My Virtual
Model, will allow consumers to recreate their in-store shopping
experience online by enabling them to search for merchandise using images
versus words, and to virtually "try on" selected items using a personalized
model of themselves to ensure that the style, color, pattern and fit are
right before purchasing.
The Sears site will enable shoppers to search on a specific style -- such
as long-sleeve tunic shirts or cropped cargo pants -- and find products
from the company's expansive catalogue of clothing, shoes and accessories
using 3D images versus words. Shoppers can create countless combinations
using a virtual model they can build and personalize to match their
measurements -- height, weight, body shape -- and a headshot photo to
ensure that the style, color, pattern and fit are right. The 3D angle
allows users to view garments on themselves from the front, side and back,
and shoppers can also email images of their looks to friends and family to
help them make final purchasing decisions.
"Sears is transforming the online shopping experience by offering consumers
cutting edge visual search and virtual model capabilities," said Rob Mills,
vice president, Sears Online Business Unit. "By allowing shoppers to
visually search for and view items in 3D, to see how they'll actually look
on themselves in various combinations, and virtually share their finds with
friends and family, Sears is providing shoppers with a superior social and
e-commerce experience that we believe will increase satisfaction and
loyalty."
"The rapid changes to the Internet have radically affected modern society
impacting the way we interact and do business," said Sandy Carter, vice
president, SOA and WebSphere, IBM. "Today's customers are not only ready
for 3D online shopping, they are demanding it. The combination of IBM
WebSphere Commerce with Visual Search 3D graphics and consumer driven
search parameters such as clothing type, color, material, and price range,
deliver a shopping experience unlike anything previously available."
"This solution is clean, elegant, and fun and will change the way the
customers shop and the way that retailers present their ever-increasing
collections to customers," said Louise Guay, president and founder of MVM.
"Consumers who use visual search can define their search and style using
detailed 3D images of the actual garments, creating personalized clothing
ensembles and dragging-and-dressing pieces directly onto their virtual
model to see how they actually mix and match."
IBM leads the industry in helping clients to transform their business
processes. A key reason for this leadership is a unique portfolio of
industry-specific solutions that draw upon IBM's extensive services,
software and hardware capabilities. IBM clients are able to rapidly deploy
these pre-configured solutions into their existing IT infrastructures
because they are based on open standards. These solutions, such as Visual
Search, expand upon the IBM Retail Integration Framework, which enables a services-oriented
approach to implementing retail solutions via pre-tested patterns and
scenarios, supported by a rich set of retail-specific, SOA-based assets.
This Sears deployment represents the first collaboration between IBM
WebSphere Commerce and MVM. The two companies have since planned a
deepening of their relationship around WebSphere Commerce and the MVM
virtual model and visual search products.
Sears.com plans to go live with Visual Search in late October.
About IBM:
For more information on IBM's retail solutions visit: www.ibm.com/retail.
About My Virtual Model:
Montreal-based My Virtual Model Inc. has been setting the standard for
virtual identity since 2000, with innovative products, including virtual
changing rooms, personalized virtual models which can be shared online,
home decoration simulators, and virtual weight loss applications. For more
information visit: www.mvm.com.
About Sears, Roebuck and Co.
Sears, Roebuck and Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings
Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD), is a leading broadline retailer providing
merchandise and related services. Sears, Roebuck offers its wide range of
home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more
than 2,400 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the United States and
Canada, which includes approximately 926 full-line and 1,100 specialty
stores in the U.S. Sears, Roebuck also offers a variety of merchandise and
services through sears.com, landsend.com, and specialty catalogs. Sears,
Roebuck offers consumers leading proprietary brands including Kenmore,
Craftsman, DieHard and Lands' End -- among the most trusted and preferred
brands in the U.S. The company is the nation's largest provider of home
services, with more than 13 million service calls made annually. For more
information, visit the Sears, Roebuck website at www.sears.com or the Sears
Holdings Corporation website at www.searsholdings.com.
IBM, WebSphere, SmartSOA and the IBM e-business logo are trademarks or
registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. For a
list of additional IBM trademarks, please see
www.ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml
All other company, product or service names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks of others. Statements concerning IBM's future development plans
and schedules are made for planning purposes only, and are subject to
change or withdrawal without notice. Reseller prices may vary.
Media Contacts:
IBM
Chris Rubsamen
914-766-1803
rubsamen@us.ibm.com
My Virtual Model
Gregory Saumier Finch
514-523-9966 ext. 410
Gregory@mvm.com
Sears
Beth Pagano
Euro RSCG Worldwide PR for Sears
847-286-7066
beth.pagano@eurorscg.com
