How a medical background and 375 million data points affords you best-in-class sizing accuracy.
This year, NetVirta celebrates a decade of providing state-of-the-art fit technology to brands in the medical, sports equipment, and fashion industries. Let’s take a walk down memory lane to reflect on how it all started.
When Jeff and Andy met as MIT students in 2008, they realized a shared desire to build something revolutionary. Andy was studying medical imaging and Jeff was focused on optics and 2D imaging, and together they discovered a way to convert 2D images of humans into accurate 3D body models. In 2013, they launched CurveCapture, an FDA-cleared solution that allows medical professionals to scan patients with medical-grade accuracy (0.5mm) for custom-fit orthotics and prosthetics.
“Practitioners were eager to adopt the CurveCapture medical app because it achieves the same level of accuracy as hardware-based laser scanners but at a fraction of the cost. CurveCapture is now used by thousands of practitioners across 15 countries every year, streamlining their scanning and manufacturing workflow while providing patients widespread access to quality care”, said our CEO & Co-Founder, Jeff Chen.
In 2019, we released Verifyt® to help consumers find the right size when shopping online. Apparel, footwear, and sports equipment brands use Verifyt® to enhance their fit experience both digitally and physically, while reducing costly returns on the backend. Consumers are able to scan themselves from the comfort of their home, a process that takes less than 3 minutes from start to finish. Today, the Verifyt app remains the world’s only mobile solution capable of 3D scanning the head, full body, and feet without special IR/LIDAR cameras, which makes it compatible with nearly all smartphone models.
Shortly after releasing Verifyt®, we partnered with Riddell, a renowned sports equipment manufacturer, to scan NFL players’ heads for the creation of custom-fit helmets. Verifyt® provides Riddell with a highly accurate, fast, and cost-effective solution, and helps them scale their Precision-Fit helmet program.
"NetVirta's Verifyt platform has allowed us to reimagine the football helmet fitting process, providing an elite-level experience for players at all levels," noted Thad Ide, Senior VP of Research and Product Development of Riddell Inc.
Partnering with brands in the highly demanding medical and sports equipment industries enabled us to perfect our scanning accuracy through years of rigorous testing and iteration. Armed with top-tier precision, we branched out into fashion in 2020 – and the market was ready for us.
Victoria’s Secret, the leading intimates retailer in the United States, has trusted NetVirta to enhance their mobile bra fitting experience. The frustrations of bra shopping are all too familiar for most women, and for years the process has remained imperfect and archaic – from the discomfort of getting measured in person, to the inevitable hassle of returns due to sizing issues. We are thrilled to help revolutionize that process with our Verifyt® solution, which makes it easier than ever for customers to receive an accurate bra size recommendation from the comfort of home.
We also partner with IMOTANA, a German custom soccer cleats brand, and can proudly say that we’ve reduced their return rate substantially. While the industry standard for online footwear brands is around 25%, IMOTANA maintains a return rate of just 5%.
Combining all partnerships, NetVirta's algorithm has been trained on over 375 million data points to date (and counting!). With such an expansive data set that grows in real time – as opposed to static body databases that become increasingly outdated as average body shape distributions evolve – we continuously improve our size recommendation accuracy. 3D scanning is the only approach that accounts for customers’ complete and unique body shape, allowing us to achieve the highest degree of precision.
Beyond the immediate benefits that Verifyt® offers to brands, we are eager to help businesses pave the road to a greener future.
"Our clients are seeing a significant drop in returns thanks to the accuracy of Verifyt® size recommendations," continued Jeff. "A reduction in returns means a smaller carbon footprint and therefore improved sustainability, which is one of the many ways we help brands future-proof their business."
Join us in celebrating a decade of pioneering revolutionary sizing solutions! Sign up for a free trial today.