Spanish clothing brand Bershka has opened a flagship store at Manchester's Trafford Shopping Centre that includes an augmented reality (AR) try-on technology experience.

The store showcases AR windows which allow shoppers to virtually try on clothes using a series of filters simply by standing in front of them.

To try out the technology, customers scan a QR code to enter Bershka's digital fitting room via the app, where they can try out different filters and share their looks on social media.

Developed in collaboration with technology studio FFace.me and social media platform Snapchat, the AR feature is only available in the Trafford store for a limited time.

The large fashion store opened its doors on Thursday, becoming the largest Bershka store in the UK with a surface area of over 1,200 m2.

The store displays the entire range of Bershka products and is divided into three independent sections dedicated to the main line for women, teenagers and young adults, and the men's collection.

It also has checkout areas that include both traditional staffed checkouts and self-service checkouts to make payment easier.

Bershka said that the entire store project focused on the use of sustainable materials, including lighting, systems and construction resources.

The retailer’s use of digital try-on tech dates back to 2023, when the company launched a virtual fitting room to reduce return rates on its website through a partnership with 3DLOOK.

The feature, called YourFit, aimed to provide “highly accurate” advice on sizes and fit, as well as a virtual try-on experience.

The firm said that the move aimed to reduce return rates for the brand, boost conversions and sales by eliminating the sizing guesswork online shoppers face, and provide interactive shopping experiences for "young tech-savvy consumers".

"We want to provide the very best customer journey available, which requires removing the inconvenience of returning goods that don’t fit quite right and providing the interactive experience young shoppers desire today," said Bershka's e-commerce department in a statement at the time.

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