OREANDA-NEWS. July 16, 2015. Toshiba Corporation (Tokyo: 6502) will undertake a joint project with Matsuya Co., Ltd., one of Japan’s leading department store operators, that will use Toshiba’s information and communication technology (ICT) to promote the Matsuya Ginza flagship store. The project will start in Tokyo on July 22 and will feature virtual fitting rooms for yukata, Japan’s light summer kimono, and a Mandarin-Japanese simultaneous interpretation system to help sales assistants to serve customers from China.

Toshiba’s virtual fitting system allows shoppers to try on yukata simply by selecting photographs of designs they like and then standing in front of a special screen. The screen superimposes the design on the customer, and can follow movement in real-time to create a realistic fitting experience. Once a customer finds a yukata she likes, she can buy it at the Ginza Yukata Station on the ground floor of the store. Another incentive to buy is a coupon for a free fruit jelly from Sembikiya Nihonbashi, a famous confectioner, with every purchase of 2,000 yen or more, including tax.

The Mandarin-Japanese simultaneous interpretation system will be available from mid-August to mid-September at five shops in Matsuya’s International Boutiques section on the store’s second floor. Chinese-speaking shoppers can speak into a tablet, which will display a simultaneous translation for the shop assistant to read. Toshiba will use results from the project to improve the accuracy of the interpretation system.

Looking ahead to 2019, the 150th anniversary of Matsuya, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Toshiba and Matsuya aim to use ICT solutions to offer department store visitors a better experience and to make shopping easy and enjoyable.