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The retailer said the "butt cam" was aimed at giving customers a "butt view of what they look like in the latest denim styles". Instead of twisting around to try and get a glimpse of their behinds in a mirror, the store's customers give their back to a video camera, installed in the communal area of the fitting room, which broadcasts a live view onto a screen. The camera does not record any images.
"It's important the jeans look and feel great and the Butt Cam provides the ultimate 'check point' moment in the fitting room," said Stephen Younane, Jeanswest CEO, in a statement. He added that the camera is a "way to bring some fitting room fun to the experience of purchasing a pair of jeans" and alter the once daunting fitting room experience.
But leading retail consultant Stephen Kulmar, of Retail Oasis, said change room novelties such as the butt cam have more to do with securing sales and offering service as retail stores cut down staff numbers.
Mr Kulmar said developments such as the butt cam also compensated for decreasing numbers of sales staff. "Instead of adding staff, they are re-organising their service," he said.
Jeanswest has so far installed cameras in three stores in Australia and plans to roll them out nationwide by the end of the year. The company has no plans so far for its overseas stores.
The retailer says it is the first to use the technology in Australia, but some fashion retailers in the United States and Britain are offering similar concepts.
Should the butt cam be available in South African clothing stores too?
