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Glossary

Shopping avatar

Author: Reviewed by: Greg CiupekUpdated

Definition: A shopping avatar is a digital character that represents a shopper online: they move it around a 3D mall or virtual showroom and, in more advanced forms built from their measurements or photo, use it to try on clothes and compare sizes. It can be a ready-made character or a likeness of the shopper's own body.

What types of shopping avatar are there?

Type How it is made What it is for
Character in a 3D mall you pick a ready-made character walking the mall, meeting other shoppers
Measurement-based avatar from measurements you enter, or measured from photos or a video comparing clothing sizes on your own shape
AI likeness generated from a selfie, or chosen from a set of AI models trying clothes on a picture that resembles you

Examples: in a virtual mall every visitor walks around as their avatar. Zalando builds a 3D avatar from measurements captured from two photos or a phone video, so shoppers can compare sizes of the same item. Google, in the US, lets you create a digital version of yourself from a selfie and add the size you usually wear. ASOS lets shoppers in its app either upload their own photo or choose an AI-generated model that represents their likeness.

How is an avatar different from a try-on photo?

A photo is a flat image onto which AI draws a garment. An avatar is a model you can turn, place in another space and — if it was built from measurements — dress in a specific size. That is why measurement-based avatars are better for choosing a size, and photos for a quick style check.

Avatars and personal data

A ready-made character holds none of your data. A measurement-based avatar or a likeness made from your photo does: body measurements and images of you are personal data. The ICO explains that information is biometric data only when it results from specific technical processing and allows or confirms unique identification, and that the purpose of the processing decides whether it is special category data. Before creating an avatar from a photo, check who stores the data and how to delete it.

Example

In the Aderlo Galleries in London and Warsaw you choose an avatar and walk around with other visitors. An avatar with your own proportions and a fitting room in the premium showroom are planned — more in our guide Virtual Try-On in 2026: ChatGPT vs Google vs Avatar Fitting Rooms and the glossary entry virtual try-on.

Sources

  1. How Zalando uses technology to help customers find the right size — Zalando SE, 22 June 2026 (accessed: )
  2. How the Google Try-On tool works — Google Shopping Help (accessed: )
  3. ASOS launches hybrid approach to virtual try-on, giving customers a unique way to shop with confidence — ASOS plc, 17 February 2026 (accessed: )
  4. Biometric data guidance: Biometric recognition — key data protection concepts — Information Commissioner's Office (accessed: )