Due to inconsistencies in size and color, selling and buying clothing online can be somewhat difficult. In fact, according to The Yankee Group, a research and strategic consulting firm, consumers who purchase women's clothing on the Web return almost 40 percent of the merchandise because color, fit and quality expectations are not met — more than double the return rate at brick-and-mortar stores.

Returned items pose a considerable expense and inconvenience to e-tailers, as well as potentially reducing customer satisfaction, so any extra measures to limit returns can prove invaluable. My Virtual Model^TM enables shoppers to create an online representative of their image, allowing them to "try on" clothing right on their computer screens.

Via a simple questionnaire that asks about gender, height, weight, skin tone, shape, hair color, and other specifics, an online shopper can quickly build a virtual replica that models selected garments from your site. The customer gets to interactively evaluate how a particular item will fit the Virtual Model's body type and complement hair and skin coloring. A Fashion Advisor is available to recommend additional items based on the model's individual size, coloring and fashion goals.

My Virtual Model is a licensed product, and compensation is directly related to e-commerce transaction. In other words, the company doesn't get paid unless their application helps to convert your browsers into buyers. However, you do have to pay a nominal fee for each garment that you want to technologically enable.

Adding the Virtual Model feature to your e-tail store can help reduce the amount of items that are returned, while also cross-selling related merchandise. The customer's shopping experience is enhanced, improving loyalty and repeat business. Also, the technology is still novel enough to fascinate visitors and potentially inspire a viral marketing campaign.