Normally when a customer shops for, say, a jacket or a shirt, it’s up to the salesclerk to suggest matching items to generate a bigger sale.
But now high-tech hangers can do the job. When a jacket is lifted from a rack, an embedded sensor sends a signal to a computer and switches on a brief video showing a recommended combination, or how it looks worn by a female idol.
These so-called interactive hangers, developed by digital product firm teamLab Inc., have succeeded in whetting consumer appetite at apparel and other fashion outlets targeting youngsters in a country where consumer sentiment has been depressed for years.

“The hanger is being introduced by apparel makers who want to do something new and think how they can make stores exciting,” said teamLab Marketing Director Yota Nakamura.

Currently, 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 are using the sensor-embedded hangers.

The idea for interactive hangers came from teamLab’s experience with e-commerce websites: The clothes worn by models sold better than those displayed without.

“We thought we could do the same thing for stores,” Nakamura said. “If images of a model wearing coordinated items appear on a screen when a customer picks up a hanger, we thought it would boost sales.”

Fans of fashion icons featured in the videos talk about the store on social networking sites, contributing to the spread of the brand. At the Vanquish outlet in Shibuya, panels display female idols from AAA and Idoling!!! wearing the clothing when the hanger is picked up.

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