Reflect, Select, Connect: The Impact of Smart Mirrors on Modern Fashion Retail

The digitization of businesses is reshaping consumer purchasing behavior, presenting unprecedented challenges for physical store commerce SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises). The rise of online shopping and digital business models is not only altering traditional business practices but also opening new avenues, especially through the integration of advanced technologies. Although much prior research has focused on online consumer experiences, a notable gap remains in understanding technology-driven customer service within physical retail environments. This paper fills that gap by investigating a less-explored domain: the capability of smart mirror fashion technology (SMFT) to improve customer experiences in brick-and-mortar clothing stores. Employing a qualitative method via Soft System Methodology (SSM), this study utilizes field notes, observations, and triplicated T-tests, focusing on the top five apparel outlets in Gurugram ranked by market capitalization. The results indicate that patrons currently view the service level in these stores as falling short of their expectations; nevertheless, the deployment of SMFT considerably enhanced service quality and positively influenced customer satisfaction. The research establishes a strong association between improved service, customer satisfaction, and SMFT adoption. The study’s contribution lies in proposing an innovative framework that integrates SMFT with conventional in-store payment mechanisms, thereby improving management practices and service quality in physical clothing retail businesses. The results, supported by SPSS experiments, suggest that leveraging SMFT can deliver superior customer service and add value to the customer experience.