Interactive Clothes Hangers Add New Dimension To Shopping & Marketing

A few months ago we featured some high tech clothes hangers that digitally display the number of Facebook likes that each piece of clothing gets from a store’s website. If you follow the trends, this is a great way to find out what kind of clothes most people like. You can read about that on Social Like Hangers. Today I’d like to share with you a different kind of high tech hangers. These are interactive clothes hangers being used in several stores now. They could make shopping a lot more fun for some people.

These hangers were introduced back in 2011, but they are in the spotlight again because they seem to be really taking off now. People are responding well, and they are adding a whole new dimension to shopping and fashion marketing.

They are super simple, which most successful ideas like this are. You can see the small silver sensor attached to each hanger (see the pictures below). When shoppers lift the hanger, they will be able to see a digital display on a computer screen located right there near the hangers. The display will show pictures of people modeling that piece of clothing, and even a video pairing that piece of clothing with others in the store so the shopper can easily put together a whole outfit.

Not only that, but that same silver sensor can also be used by shoppers to change the lighting or music in the store. My only question is, what if the store is busy? Will the hangers’ digital displays be constantly changing, along with the music and the lighting? Everyone has different tastes, so I can’t imagine how this would work in a crowded store.

These interactive clothes hangers were developed by a Tokyo-based digital creative firm called teamLab. According to Japan Times, these hangers are currently in “12 Vanquish and other apparel brand outlets in Tokyo’s major shopping districts, including Shibuya, Shinjuku and Ikebukuro, as well as in Osaka and other cities.” Nice!