GLENDALE, Calif. — February 8, 2022 — Avery Dennison Corp. today announced the launch of AD Stretch, a first in the labels industry program aimed at partnering with startup innovators to solve key challenges and create new opportunities within sustainability, customer experience and value chains.

The company intends to engage with startups to further enable disruption and evolution in labels and packaging while strengthening innovation capabilities across the industry. The aim is to address some of the industry’s most urgent business challenges by matching Avery Dennison’s experience and scale with promising startups and inventors to collaborate and grow together.

“Complementing our industry-leading internal capabilities and our corporate venture program, AD Stretch will play a critical role in our overall innovation approach and extend our circle of innovators,” said Pascale Wautelet, global vice president, Research and Development, Label and Graphic Materials, Avery Dennison. “We’re stretching beyond borders and boundaries, and increasing the pool of industry talent we work with to create a collective global problem-solving culture that inspires everyone it touches and generates real value for our stakeholders and society.”

The program will be launched by regional cohorts starting in Asia Pacific and Latin America, then rolling out in Europe and the U.S. later this year. With the end goal of solving a specific problem, each cohort will have a region-specific brief that draws on regional challenges.

The core themes will focus on connecting consumers to brands through new experiences, creating sustainable, responsible and efficient value chains (SRE) and the development of materials and packaging 2.0.

“When faced with a complex ecosystem, there are challenges and opportunities in equal measure,” says Shruti George, senior director, Strategic Innovation Platforms at Avery Dennison. “In some cases, the solutions lie in scale and existing infrastructure; in other cases, in agility and a blank page. By combining our financial firepower with the agility of start-up innovators, we’re supercharging our efforts to increase efficiency in the supply chain, create the next generation of packaging and solve environmental challenges.”

The program, in partnership with venture studio Highline Beta, aims to attract the best and brightest startups and innovators. Following a period of review and consultation, the applicants will be narrowed down to 10 finalists that will go on to execute a pilot project.

Posted: February 8, 2022

Source: Avery Dennison Corporation

SAN MATEO, Calif. — February 7, 2022 — Workwear and apparel brand Dickies®, owned by VF Corp., has seen a 94-percent increase in conversions since implementing 3DLOOK’s size and fit recommendations on Alibaba Group’s Tmall global platform in China, while also driving up satisfaction rates and Net Promoter Score (NPS).

Rolled out in May 2021, the innovation has provided a significant boost to a number of the brand’s KPIs. According to market research conducted by consulting firm Bain for Dickies, 87 percent of all surveyed customers report the tool has improved the shopping experience and would like to see the size and fit recommendations added to more products. The study also found that 94 percent of surveyed consumers rate sizing as the key barrier to purchasing garments online, reiterating the need for innovative solutions to measure online customers and match them with well-fitting garments remotely. Overall, the independent research concluded that the tool had “made a positive impact on Dickies brand image and was perceived to be strong in delivering a young & innovative image and sense of style.”

With the solution, Dickies was able to reduce their customers’ reliance on support staff and improve the efficiency of the purchasing process, since 50 percent of all support questions received are related to size. Additionally, the brand used 3DLOOK’s solution as an opportunity to offer a unique, engaging customer experience to China’s young, digitally-savvy Gen Z shoppers, who make up the majority of Tmall’s active consumers.

“Personalization matters more than ever and we know that modern, digital consumers expect shopping experiences that cater to their individual needs,” said Whitney Cathcart, co-founder and chief strategy officer at 3DLOOK. “With size selection being a big barrier to purchase, our fit solution for Dickies produced results that deliver to the demands of their shoppers.”

To use the solution, shoppers on Dickies Tmall store simply selected a product, clicked on the measurement widget, and let the voice assistant guide them through the quick photo flow. From just two photos — front and side — 3DLOOK’s technology obtains landmarks and more than 80+ measurement points using a patented combination of computer vision and 3D statistical modeling and compares the results with product data to determine the best size and fit for the customer’s body.

Following the success of the size and fit recommendation solution, in July 2021, 3DLOOK rolled out YourFit — the first and only solution for apparel shoppers that offers photorealistic virtual try-on functionality combined with highly accurate, data-driven size recommendations. In early 2022, the company plans to roll out a new enhanced out-of-the-box version of YourFit that will support simple integration with leading e-commerce platforms and a completely revamped UX that is engaging and interactive and puts data privacy and security to the forefront of the experience based on the feedback from thousands of users and numerous brands and retailers.

Posted: February 7, 2022

Source: 3DLOOK

ELKTON, Md. — February 4, 2022 — For decades, the GORE-TEX brand has offered consumers the most protective, performance-oriented fabrics on the market for snowsports and other outdoor activities. Via the brand’s new Outerwear on Demand garment rental program, snowsports enthusiasts now have convenient access to GORE-TEX snowsports apparel via rental at 15 different resort and retail locations throughout North America. The program is planned to grow to additional locations in coming seasons.

GORE-TEX Outerwear on Demand was created to expand the opportunity for consumers to have  unmatched GORE-TEX technology, when and where they need it most. Each item in the Outerwear on Demand collection is an exclusive GORE-TEX garment uniquely engineered in-house to stand up to the demands of the user and the stresses of a high-usage and cleaning frequency rental environment.

Outerwear on Demand is the perfect solution for families and travelers looking to take the hassle out of packing yet still want the best in technology and convenience while vacationing. Similarly, the program is ideal for occasional skiers and snowboarders not yet ready to invest in their own gear.

For the environmentally conscious consumers, Outerwear on Demand offers an alternative for those who prefer “usership” to “ownership,” an achievable goal thanks to the GORE-TEX brand’s renowned reliability and longevity, and a custom design that allows for individual areas of the garment to be replaced or repaired between uses if needed. Each mix-and-match top and bottom provide thoughtful details such as adaptable fit features, integrated snow barriers and ventilation elements, Primaloft® Silver insulation, patented Cohaesive™ Drawcord System, RECCO® reflectors, and more. Constructed with GORE-TEX fabric, each piece offers the GORE-TEX GUARANTEED TO KEEP YOU DRY™ waterproof promise, windproofness, and superb breathability, delivering maximum comfort, performance, and style for a wide range of conditions

As part of the program, the GORE-TEX brand provides garment inventory services for each trusted partner. For the consumer, following a rental each garment will undergo a professional, multi-point inspection process, after which it will be cleaned locally to lessen the carbon footprint of shipping, then repackaged for next use.

Consumers will have multiple options to find their garment rental via the partner of their choice with online & in-store options, and easy in-store pickup at any of the 15 convenient participating locations:

• Jackson Hole Sports – Teton Village, Wyo.;
• Hoback Sports – Jackson, Wyo.;
• Wasatch Powder House – Salt Lake City, Utah;
• Motherlode Powder House – Alta, Utah;
• Deep Powder House – Alta, Utah;
• Rustler Powder House – Alta, Utah;
• Snowpine Powder House – Alta, Utah;
• Christy Sports – Dillon, Avon, Breckenridge & Denver West, Colo.;
• Limelight Aspen + Limelight Snowmass – Aspen, Colo.; and
• evo – Denver, Colo., + evo (Sportstop) Whistler, BC.

“GORE-TEX Outerwear on Demand is the best choice for user convenience, performance to match specific conditions, and the next step in making it easier than ever to enjoy winter activities in legendary GORE technology without owning or transporting multiple garments,” says Chris Brennan, product specialist – Innovation, Fabrics Division. “We’ve set out to create a very technical, very durable line of clothing that will stand up to frequent use and cleaning, providing consumers the GORE-TEX Product Experience and a convenient alternative to purchasing when it comes to outfitting themselves for winter adventure.”

Posted: February 7, 2022

Source: W. L. Gore & Associates