eBay acquires 3D virtual fitting room technology company PhiSix

eBay has acquired PhiSix, a 3-D virtual fitting room technology company in the Bay Area, to help consumers make more confident purchases online. The San Jose-based e-commerce giant did not disclose how much it paid, but said PhiSix founder, Jonathan Su, a former Intel research scientist and Stanford computer science PhD, will be joining eBay along with three other employees. While the acquisition sounds minor, the technology is tackling a big problem — making consumers confident enough to purchase clothing online and happy enough not to return it. To date, most e-commerce companies have solved this problem with less elegant — and costly — solutions, such as providing free returns.