Customers bought $9.6 billion worth of apparel online in the United States last year, according to Forrester Research, the Internet consulting firm. I wasn't one of them. If I can't try something on, I'm not about to buy it. And I'm not alone apparently, as the return rate for clothes bought online is a high 30%.

So myShape is trying to change that by having users provide their basic body dimensions and style preferences, and then showing them all the available clothing that would fit well and perhaps suit their taste. Makes sense, right? There are seven basic body shapes and after that, the site offers to mail you a free tape measure so you can log your measurements into the myShape system. (My problem is I can't decide if I'm an "E" or "Y" basic body shape.)

Still in Beta, the site is seeing some positive results -- customers are buying clothes at a rate far higher than the industry average, and are returning them at half the industry average. Shipping is always free, so there's no downside to trying something.

Another company, Intellifit, is trying to refine the science by offering to scan its customers. At the moment, they're installing scanners in airports and select stores. Apparel-matching services like Intellifit and myShape are going to be the wave of the future, as people get more hard-pressed for time. But I'll still want to do some browsing at my favorite boutiques.

Via New York Times.