Digital Trends

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Mirror, mirror, on the wall... Does this come in red? The magicmirror lets you know using RFID tags in retail clothing.

Usually, if a mirror in a dressing room has wires hanging out of it, it’s a pretty good indication you should start shopping elsewhere and call the police. Not so with the magicmirror from Paxar, a company that specializes in identification and tracking systems for the retail industry.

Using radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags that can be embedded in a store’s clothing, the magicmirror makes it possible for consumers to bring an item in front of the mirror and see brand messaging, garment description, size and color availability, as well as suggestions for other items that go with it, all displayed in the mirror. Buyers can also request assistance by tapping the mirror without having to leave the dressing room.

“Consumers are becoming increasingly savvy – they’re accustomed to using technology in their daily lives, especially when shopping for items,” said Chris Robins, vice president of trade marketing at Paxar, in a statement. “To communicate with them in their digital language and engage them, the industry must find relevant, innovative technology that helps tell a brand story better. The magicmirror solution does that and is poised to become a huge driver of item-level RFID adoption as consumers are encouraged to interact with the positive features and experience the significant benefits RFID brings.”

There’s no word on when this technology could be showing up at a department store near you, but Paxar will be debuting the magicmirror at this week’s Material World trade show at the Miami Beach Convention Center, where RFID is expected to be a major topic this year.